Estonia plans to simplify visa regime for foreigners
The Estonian government has approved a draft law on a simplified visa regime for foreign tourists, RIA Novosti reports. The new draft law, which has already been submitted to the Estonian parliament, provides for the possibility of obtaining tourist visas for up to five days without an invitation.
The timeframes for issuing visas at Estonian consulates remain the same - one week. The cost of a single-entry visa will also remain unchanged - Е20.
If the Estonian parliament approves the draft law, the new rules will come into force on January 1, 2006, and "will mainly apply to citizens of Russia and the CIS, since residents of the European Union can travel to Estonia without visas."
"Shuttle traders" and guest workers are no longer considered tourists in Russia
The total number of tourists entering Russia from CIS countries in the first half of 2005 decreased compared to the same period last year. As Regnum reports, this was announced by the head of the Federal Agency for Tourism of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Strzhalkovsky.
In his opinion, this is due to a "failure in advertising policy," as well as the fact that people coming to Russia in search of work and shuttle traders are no longer considered tourists. At the same time, the number of foreign tourists arriving in St. Petersburg and Moscow has increased.
The dynamics of foreign trips by Russian citizens is also changing - trips to Poland, Finland, and China are decreasing, but trips to "beach" and sightseeing countries are increasing, Vladimir Strzhalkovsky said. According to preliminary data available to Rostourism, in the first half of 2005 there was a significant increase in domestic tourism in the Krasnodar Territory, up 25% compared to last year, and the number of tourists in the Smolensk, Vladimir, and Tula regions also increased.
As reported, Vladimir Strzhalkovsky also specifically addressed the so-called "event tourism" associated with various cultural events within the country. The prospects for growth of this type of tourism, in his words, were not realized due to the lack of relevant tourism catalogs. According to the head of Rostourism, this situation will be corrected next year so that both Russian citizens and foreigners can know when and in which Russian city interesting cultural events take place. "This is very important for small towns, because event tourism is the basis for filling their hotels, and for tour operators focused on cultural tourism," he concluded.
"Fuel tourism" is flourishing in Europe
Another increase in gasoline prices in European countries has led to the emergence of the phenomenon of "fuel tourism": Europeans prefer to fill up abroad. As Newsru.com reports, thrifty (and squeezed by environmental taxes) Germans were the first to realize that one can save a considerable amount by filling up not at home but in neighboring Czech Republic or Hungary. The price difference reaches 30 euro cents per liter.
However, poor Danes consider it a blessing to fill their tanks in Germany (saving 24 cents per liter). Long queues at border gas stations are already not uncommon. And the Internet is full of advice for aspiring "fuel tourists" and information on the most profitable ways to fill up.
Diesel fuel rose most significantly in Switzerland (by 13 cents), as well as in Denmark (by 8 cents), Germany and Belgium (by 7 cents). Gasoline prices also increased. A record high price for a liter of 95-octane gasoline is observed in Holland (?1.40), while fuel prices remain lowest in the countries of the former socialist bloc that recently joined the EU or are preparing to join (Slovenia, Croatia, Poland) - there the price per liter of gasoline does not exceed one euro.
Hostages of the situation were, first of all, owners of gas stations on the "unfavorable" side of the border and taxi drivers. The threat of ruin and closure looms over dozens of German gas stations on the border with Poland and the Czech Republic. And taxi companies are seriously thinking about converting their fleets to alternative fuel, such as gas.
While the authorities think about what to do with the current situation, more and more Europeans, who traditionally travel in their own cars, are forced to explore new routes and think about spending their vacation not only pleasantly but also usefully, and bringing home, in addition to new impressions, a few canisters of gasoline.
In the UAE, taxi drivers refuse to take passengers during rush hour
Many taxi drivers refuse to carry passengers during rush hours (from seven to nine in the morning and from five to nine in the evening) between Dubai and Sharjah, reports Travel.ru. Long traffic jams on the roads lead to the fact that taxi drivers, who have daily output quotas, are afraid of losing several hours and losing a significant share of their daily earnings.
Even if a taxi driver picks up a passenger in Dubai, there is a chance that he will drop him off at Al Mullah Plaza, and then the tourist will have to catch a private driver for 5-10 dirhams to get to the Sharjah border and switch to a Sharjah taxi.
According to Mohamed Ibrahim, deputy inspector of the Dubai Transport company, taxi drivers do not have the right to refuse a trip if they have already taken a passenger or at least stopped on demand. If a taxi driver refuses, you should call the company and report the taxi number. In this case, an investigation will be conducted, and as a result, the taxi driver may be suspended from work, fined, or sent for additional training.