Other changes to the Schengen Visa Code include higher visa fees and extended application submission periods.

Here's how to get a five-year Schengen visa

The Schengen Area has recently implemented regulatory changes aiming to ease and clarify the process of obtaining a visa.

5 years ago

News

Royal Caribbean cancels 18 cruises due to virus, crimping profit

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. has canceled 18 sailings and rejiggered itineraries in response to the coronavirus outbreak, putting a crimp on the cruise company’s 2020 profit. ...

5 years ago

News

Love boat: Valentine's Day on a quarantine cruise

"Cupid's avocado" for dinner, heart-shaped messages for the crew, but also painful separation: for those trapped on board the quarantined Diamond Princess cruise ship, Friday is no ordinary Valentine's Day. ...

5 years ago

The Latest

News

Japan mother, son nabbed for 3,250 hotel cancellations: Media

Local media reports the duo made 3,250 no-show hotel cancellations across Japan over a year.

5 years ago

Timgad, ruins of a Roman-Berber city in Algeria which has been recognized as a UNESCO heritage

News

Algeria aims to boost tourism with an electronic visa system

The Fennecs football team homeland aims to boost its presence on the North African tourism market with the launch of an electronic visa system, according to specialist website action-visas.com.

5 years ago

United said it was extending cancellations of flights to Hong Kong, which had been set to resume on Feb. 21, and for flights to mainland China, that had been set to resume on March 28. Flights will resume starting April 24.

News

US airlines extend China flight cancellations into late April

United Airlines said late on Wednesday it will extend cancellations of all U.S. flights to China through late April due to the coronavirus epidemic.

5 years ago

The Westerdam cruise ship is seen past fishing boats as it approaches port in Sihanoukville, Cambodia's southern coast on February 13, 2020, where the liner had received permission to dock after been refused entry at other Asian ports due to fears of the COVID-19 coronavirus. Japan, Guam, the Philippines, Taiwan and Thailand all refused to allow the ship to dock, despite operator Holland America insisting there were no cases of the deadly disease -- which has killed over 1,100 -- on board.

News

Cruise ship shunned over coronavirus fears arrives in Cambodia

A cruise ship which had spent two weeks at sea after being turned away by five countries over fears that someone aboard may have the coronavirus arrived in Cambodia on Thursday to the relief of passengers and the praise of global health officials.

5 years ago

People visit Disneyland on August 14, 1977 in Anaheim, California, the United States.

News

Disneyland raises ticket prices by 3% to $154 a day

Walt Disney Co. raised admission prices by 3.4 percent at its Disneyland resort in California, but the increase was smaller than in years past despite coming after the opening of a costly Star Wars-themed land last year.

5 years ago

A 'tuk tuk' motorized rickshaw driver, Amonchai Laodoungdee, waits for customers outside a shopping mall in Bangkok, Thailand, on February 11, 2020.

News

Not just Chinese travelers staying away as virus shakes Asian tourism

Many Asian tourism professionals say the drop in tourism has spread from Chinese tourists to visitors from other Asian and Western countries now also staying away, raising fears that much of the 2020 travel season may be severely diminished.

5 years ago

People walk on a snowy landscape as the Swiss Alps are seen in the background and mist partly covers the alpine upland, on December 07, 2017 near the southern German town of Höchenschwand.

News

Green Christmases: Alpine ski resorts ponder a future without snow

Last Christmas, for the first time in its existence, a ski resort in the French Alpine town of Montclar could count neither on Mother Nature nor its artificial snow machines to produce enough of the white stuff to cover its pistes.

5 years ago

Yeongsil Trail in Hallasan National Park stretches toward the horizon on Jeju island in the winter.

News

Jeju Island suspends visa-free travel for Indonesians due to coronavirus

Amid the outbreak of the novel coronavirus, now officially known as COVID-19, the policy that allows Indonesians to visit Jeju Island in South Korea without a visa is no longer applicable.

5 years ago

A traveler in a black hat looks at the Blue Mosque in Istanbul, Turkey.

Tips

5 common travel scams and how to avoid them

To ensure your holiday is an enjoyable one, stay on high alert for these common scams.

5 years ago

News

Cruise ship rejected by four nations runs out of options

Thailand became the latest country to turn a Holland America Line cruise ship away from one of its ports, prompting pleas for help from some of the 2,257 passengers and crew desperate to disembark after almost two weeks at sea.

5 years ago

More than 30 travel firms -- including TripAdvisor and Expedia -- complained on Monday to the EU's powerful anti-trust authority that search giant Google is unfairly trying to encroach on their business.

News

Google draws anger with vacation homes feature

More than 30 travel firms -- including TripAdvisor and Expedia -- complained on Monday to the EU's powerful anti-trust authority that search giant Google is unfairly trying to encroach on their business.

5 years ago

This file photo taken on February 4, 2020 shows people riding a mini steam locomotive through the 'Cup Noodles and Rui Hachimura's snow tunnel' during the Sapporo Snow Festival in Sapporo.

News

Snow problem for Japan's ice sculpture festival

Every year, tens of thousands of tourists flock to the snow festival in the northern Japanese city of Sapporo, attracted by some 200 large, but intricate ice sculptures.

5 years ago

A cultural procession takes place during the opening event of the 2018 Festival Pesona Bau Nyale (Bau Nyale Charms Festival).

News

More than sea worms: Bau Nyale seeks to charm tourists with legends, festivities

The festival kicked off on Sunday evening with a perisaian (shield fighting) competition on Kuta Mandalika Beach.

5 years ago

Passengers wearing face masks walk to a departure gate at Sukarno-Hatta international airport in Tangerang on February 5, 2020.

News

Air travel restrictions won't protect us from the coronavirus

The key challenge is that aircraft fly more people more quickly between more places than ever before. The flight times are often far shorter than the incubation period of viruses – perhaps as long as 14 days in the case of the novel coronavirus.

5 years ago

The decision was only for Beijing, a spokesperson for Airbnb China said, adding that the company evaluates the situation and works to comply with guidance from local authorities.

News

Airbnb suspends bookings in Beijing for rest of February

Airbnb said on Monday it has suspended bookings in Beijing until Feb. 29 as death toll from the coronavirus outbreak in China exceeded 900.

5 years ago

News

Weeding out fakes? Lisbon tourism at threat from 'drug' dealers

Whispering "Hashish? Cocaine?", street sellers are offering unsuspecting tourists in Lisbon's center "drugs" which police say are often bay leaves, flour or ground paracetamol.

5 years ago

The Soei Goeat Kiong temple is one of the attractions on Kemaro Island, South Sumatra.

Event

Palembang won’t let coronavirus fears spoil Cap Go Meh

Coronavirus or not, Palembang's Kemaro Island celebrates Cap Go Meh as every year.

5 years ago

Citilink Indonesia offered the first flight on its new Bandung-Kuala Lumpur route on Saturday.

News

Citilink launches Bandung-Kuala Lumpur route

Low-cost carrier Citilink Indonesia has launched a new route from West Java’s Bandung to Kuala Lumpur.

5 years ago

The inaugural flight of Tanjung Karang-Krui route arrived at Muhammad Taufik Kiemas Airport in Krui, West Pesisir regency, Lampung, on Feb. 7.

News

Wings Air now connects Tanjung Karang, Krui

The 35-minute route is expected to serve as an alternative to driving, which takes more than six hours.

5 years ago

The Royal Caribbean's Voyager of the Seas.

News

Royal Caribbean bans China, HK, Macau passport holders from ships on coronavirus fears

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd said it would ban guests holding China, Hong Kong or Macau passports from boarding its ships amid concerns over the coronavirus outbreak.

5 years ago

A Cap Go Meh parade takes place in Glodok, West Jakarta, on March 4, 2018.

Activities

Jakarta celebrates Cap Go Meh with festival, performances

Visitors can expect to enjoy various forms of art and performances at the celebrations, including ondel-ondel (giant Betawi effigies), wushu, Chinese lute and film screenings.

5 years ago

The Great Wall of China, Beijing, July 9, 2018.

News

Beijing to open a 'Universal Wine Museum' in 2021

The Beijing "Universal Wine Museum" aims to welcome half a million visitors in its first year.

5 years ago

A passenger wearing a face mask stretches in his cabin on the cruise ship Diamond Princess, where 10 more people were tested positive for coronavirus on Thursday, at Daikoku Pier Cruise Terminal in Yokohama, south of Tokyo, Japan February 7, 2020

News

From 'Sexiest Legs' contest to quarantine in a windowless cruise ship cabin

They boarded on Jan. 20 and all went well until a passenger, who had disembarked in Hong Kong, was diagnosed with the coronavirus, and their ship, the Diamond Princess, was locked down in quarantine just off Yokohama, the port south of Tokyo from where the tour had started.

5 years ago

White beaches line the coast of Padar Island, which lies between the islands of Komodo and Rinca to the west of Labuan Bajo in West Manggarai on Flores Island, East Nusa Tenggara province. Padar Island is part of Komodo National Park, famed for its giant lizards.

News

Labuan Bajo hopes to maintain positive arrivals trend despite travel bans

The "gateway to Komodo National Park" remains hopeful, despite some impact from the coronavirus outbreak and ensuing travel bans.

5 years ago

While Rome’s laws may seem extreme, it’s not the only city out to preserve ancient architecture.

Tips

Rules every tourist needs to know before traveling to Europe

For those wanting to see what Europe has to offer, keep in mind these rules.

5 years ago

A Lion Air plane at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, Banten.

News

Airlines suspend China flights due to coronavirus outbreak

Airlines are suspending flights to China in the wake of the new coronavirus outbreak.

5 years ago

The virus can’t survive long on seats or armrests, so physical contact with another person carries the greatest risk of infection on a flight, said David Powell, a physician and medical adviser to the International Air Transport Association.

Tips

How to avoid coronavirus on flights: Forget masks, says top airline doctor

Forget face masks and rubber gloves. The best way to avoid the coronavirus is frequent hand washing, according to a medical adviser to the world’s airlines.

5 years ago

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