Indonesian island Bali is planning to ban foreign tourists from using motorbikes after a spate of cases involving people breaking traffic laws. “You [should] not roam about the island using motorbikes, without wearing shirts or clothes, no helmet, and even without a licence,” Governor I Wayan Koster said. Tourists will instead get around on vehicles provided by travel agents. The plan has been divisive as tourism continues to recover from Covid losses. More than 171 foreign nationals have violated traffic orders from late February to early March, according to local police records. Some tourists also use fake licence plates. “If … Continue reading Tourists from hell: Bali plans tourist motorbike ban over misbehaviour

Spain’s tourism leaders have warned they could lose millions of British holidaymakers if the European Union introduces a tourist tax later this year. The Spanish Tourism Board says it could pose a major problem for the country if the EU presses ahead with the charge, which would see non-EU visitors forced to pay seven euro.  The rate, called the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS), will be applied to those visiting the Schengen Area from November. Describing the tax as a ‘threat’, the Tourism Board said it risked undermining Spain’s tourism sector during its first General Assembly of the year. In a … Continue reading Spain warns EU’s ‘tourist tax’ for Brits is a ‘threat’ to economy

An Australian tourist has been killed by a shark in front of horrified onlookers in the French Pacific territory of New Caledonia. The 59-year-old was swimming about 150m (500ft) from shore at a popular beach in Nouméa when he was attacked on Sunday, authorities say. He was bitten several times, suffering major wounds to his leg and arms, and died at the scene. It is the third shark attack near the Chateau-Royal beach in three weeks. Two people sailing nearby took the man back to the beach, where emergency services tried to revive him. Many people were in the water … Continue reading Australian man killed by shark at popular beach in New Caledonia

An eight-year-old Australian boy has died from suspected electrocution while on holiday in Fiji. The boy, identified by family as Cairo Winitana from Sydney, was staying with his parents at the Club Wyndham Denarau Island Resort on the west coast of Fiji’s main island. Fiji police said he was found lying “motionless” near a flower garden at the hotel last Thursday. He was taken to hospital in the nearby city of Nadi, but could not be revived. “Initial information gathered is that the child was allegedly electrocuted however the post-mortem will have to confirm that,” Fiji police said. The boy … Continue reading Tragic: 8 year-old Australian boy dies of suspected electrocution at Fiji resort

An Australian rugby league player has been found dead in Spain after going missing on a night out with friends. Barcelona police found Liam Hampson’s body on the floor of a nightclub where he was last seen, local media reported. He had been travelling through Europe with a group including National Rugby League (NRL) players, who reported him missing. The 24-year-old’s family said he had an accident and did not survive, adding they are “heartbroken”. Mr Hampson played in the Queensland Cup for the Redcliffe Dolphins, a team that will enter Australia’s top-tier NRL next season. He had become separated … Continue reading Australian rugby league player found dead in Spanish club

Hong Kong says it will give away 500,000 airline tickets, worth HK$2bn ($254.8m), as it tries to boost its Covid-hit tourism industry. The city rolled back several of its coronavirus rules in recent weeks. However, major airlines are struggling to get their flight schedules back to pre-pandemic levels. On Wednesday, British airline Virgin Atlantic said it will stop operating in Hong Kong because of issues linked to the Ukraine war. “The airport authority will finalise the arrangement with airline companies. Once the government announces it will remove all Covid-19 restrictions for inbound travellers, we’ll roll out the advertising campaigns for … Continue reading Great News: Hong Kong to lure tourists with free air tickets

Japan will open its doors back up to vaccinated foreign tourists, after more than two years of closed borders due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Tourists will be able to visit the country without a visa, and will no longer need to go through a travel agency, from 11 October. A cap on daily arrivals will also be lifted. Visitors will still need to prove their triple vaccination status and submit a negative Covid-19 test result to enter. The anticipated influx of travellers will be a welcome boost to government and local businesses, and comes as the Japanese yen has slid … Continue reading Japan to lift restrictions on foreign tourists

A US cruise ship passenger was killed by a shark while snorkelling near the Bahamas on Tuesday, according to local authorities. The 58-year-old woman from Pennsylvania was on an excursion near Green Cay near Nassau when the incident took place. Police later said that the family identified the shark as a bull shark. A similar incident in the area took the life of a 21-year-old American in 2019. Despite gripping public attention, shark attacks are exceedingly rare. Bahamian police spokeswoman Chrislyn Skippings told reporters that the woman was on an excursion with a local tour company, which took her to … Continue reading Tragic: Shark attack kills US cruise passenger in Bahamas

Jetstar has apologised to roughly 4,000 passengers who were stranded in Bali over the past week because of flight cancellations. The budget airline said it had cancelled eight return flights to Sydney and Melbourne from Denpasar since 1 September. Angry travellers have complained on social media of scrambling for last-minute arrangements. Jetstar said 180 passengers are still stranded in Bali. The carrier, which is run by Australia’s flagship airline Qantas, said that most of the impacted passengers were given accommodation. “Unfortunately, our Boeing 787 fleet has been impacted by a number of issues, including a lightning strike, a bird strike, … Continue reading Jetstar apologises to stranded passengers in Bali

Portugal’s health minister has resigned hours after reports emerged that a pregnant tourist had died after being turned away from a full maternity ward. The 34-year-old Indian woman reportedly suffered a cardiac arrest while being transferred between Lisbon hospitals. It follows a string of incidents this summer that critics blame on a staffing crisis across Portuguese natal units. Dr Marta Temido had been the health minister since 2018, and is credited with steering Portugal through Covid-19 pandemic. But on Tuesday, the government said in a statement that Dr Temido had “realised that she no longer had the conditions to remain … Continue reading Tragic: Portugal health minister quits after pregnant tourist dies

A woman has allegedly been killed after four people were shot in a Marbella nightclub when a gunman went on a rampage on the crowded dance floor. The shootings took place in the early hours of this morning at Opium Beach Club, a club popular with British tourists in the Spanish holiday hotspot. A fight had broken out among the revellers when the shooter took out his gun and started firing. He was then stabbed in the head and torso, sources said, and he remains in hospital in a serious condition. According to Euro Weekly, a woman has been confirmed dead after … Continue reading Woman killed as four people are shot in Marbella nightclub before gunman is stabbed

A British holidaymaker was arrested after allegedly smashing his partner over the head with a bottle at Ibiza Airport. The 26-year-old was held at the door to the Ibiza Airport terminal after members of a flight crew leaving the area alerted police to the attack at midnight on June 11. The incident happened minutes after the couple reached the holiday island on a late-night flight from the UK.  Local reports said police found the assault victim injured on the floor with her belongings scattered on the ground when they reached the scene. A Civil Guard spokesman confirmed: ‘We took a … Continue reading 26 year old British man arrested at Ibiza airport after smashing girlfriend’s head with a bottle