Fee for entering Golden Lane may be abolished
The Czech Association of Travel Agencies calls for abolishing the fee for entering Golden Lane or at least reducing the ticket price. Association representatives believe that tourists are paying an unreasonably high price.
You can visit Golden Lane either with a general ticket costing €8, which grants access to all Prague Castle sites, or by purchasing a separate ticket for €4. The administration of Prague Castle stated that it does not plan to reduce ticket prices or abolish the entrance fee. After 5 p.m., one of the most popular tourist attractions in Prague can be visited for free.
One-third of Poles do not rule out labor migration
More than one-third of Poles do not rule out the possibility of going to work in an EU country if the opportunity arises. 60% of the population does not think about emigration. These are the results of a survey conducted for Radio Polonia by the public opinion institute "Penter".
20% of respondents say they really want to emigrate, more than 16% are undecided. 38% of respondents do not think about emigration. The answer "rather no" was given by more than 20% of respondents. Jerzy Gluszyński from "Penter" admits that the majority – more than 60% of Poles – do not think about leaving the country. On the other hand, 37% of Poles would willingly go abroad.
According to the sociologist, there are two factors related to this. On the one hand, Poland was a closed country for many years, from which people did not leave but fled. The second factor, according to the sociologist, is the critical attitude towards the labor market in Poland and the opportunities offered by employers. Young and well-educated people are most willing to go abroad, but Poles with primary education also want to leave Poland. Most departures are planned for the purpose of earning money, some want to study abroad or gain professional experience. Such emigration, according to Gluszyński, is in many cases not intended for life.
Last year, "Penter" conducted a similar survey. Then, 39% expressed readiness to go abroad, only 2% more than this year.
British Airways loses passengers' luggage most often
British Airways topped the list of European airlines that most often lose their passengers' luggage, reports AFP. For every thousand travelers on the leading British airline, there are 23 cases of lost luggage.
Second place went to the Portuguese company TAP Air Portugal: 21 losses per 1,000 passengers. It is followed by German Lufthansa (18.1 losses), Air France (16.6), and Alitalia (16.5 losses). The average figure for the list is 15.7 lost pieces of luggage per 1,000 people, which amounts to 5.6 million travel bags, backpacks, and suitcases.
The list was compiled by the Air Transport Users Council based on data provided by the airlines themselves, but covers only those that are members of the Association of European Airlines (AEA). Meanwhile, six AEA members did not provide any data on lost luggage. Also unclear is the situation with low-cost airlines such as Ryanair or EasyJet, since they are not members of the association.
The compilers of the report note that lost luggage usually causes stress for passengers, who also often have to fight to get the airlines to return missing items quickly. In this regard, representatives of the Air Transport Users Council demand that the European Commission keep relevant statistics, on the basis of which it would be possible to "shame" the offending airlines.
According to AEA data, 85% of lost luggage is returned to owners within 48 hours. However, this also means that about a million bags and suitcases find their owners even later.
New rules for drivers come into force in Poland
New traffic rules in Poland will come into effect on April 17. Adopted by the Polish Sejm, they require drivers to turn on low-beam headlights in any visibility and any weather conditions, regardless of whether the car is in a populated area or outside it.
In addition, new rules for behavior in tunnels have been introduced. For example, cars with a maximum weight of no more than 3.5 tons and buses must maintain a distance of 50 meters from the vehicle in front. For vehicles with a maximum weight over 3.5 tons, the required distance is 80 meters. In the event of a forced stop in a tunnel, the minimum distance between cars must be 5 meters.
In accordance with the adopted amendments, changes have been made to the exam questions for those studying driving theory. The updated exam database can be found on the official website of the Ministry of Transport.
Malaysia Airlines creates budget airline
Malaysia Airlines has created a subsidiary budget airline, Firefly, which will be based on Penang Island. It began flights on April 3 with two Fokker 50 aircraft. Currently, the new carrier's route network includes flights from Penang to Langkawi, Kota Bharu, Kuantan, and Kuala Terengganu. From April 13, Firefly will also start flights to Thailand – to the islands of Phuket and Koh Samui.
In the future, the company will develop routes on the Malay Peninsula. It will take over routes that would be unprofitable for the parent company. Ticket prices start from 9 ringgit ($3) excluding fees. Tickets can currently only be purchased at the company's call center and Malaysia Airlines offices. Ticket sales on the airline's website will begin in mid-May.
Bangkok hotels are the cheapest
According to The Times, New York ranks second in the list of most expensive tourist destinations after Moscow. The average price for accommodation in a New York hotel is £155 ($305.26) per night.
Although hotel prices in Bangkok have risen by 58% compared to 2005, the Thai capital remains the cheapest destination: the average price per night in a hotel is £44 ($86.65). According to statistics, Bangkok's popularity among tourists continues to grow. However, the popularity of Tallinn, on the contrary, fell by 6% compared to 2005 data, despite a relatively low average hotel accommodation cost – from £51 ($100.44).
Tourist traffic to Cape Town unexpectedly increased, where the hotel room price decreased by 10% to an average of £77 ($151.64).
Cypriots call for investment in the island
The authorities of Cyprus urged foreigners to invest more actively in the country's real estate ahead of its entry into the Eurozone, which was scheduled for February 1, 2008. According to the publication 'Quadrum', this was announced by the Cypriot ambassador to Russia Leonidas Pantelidis and trade counselor of the Cypriot embassy Andreas Christodoulou at the opening of the Cyprus Property Exhibition.
The officials clarified that although foreigners need official permission from the Council of Ministers of Cyprus to actively invest in the country's real estate, this procedure is formal, and the document is provided to all law-abiding investors. Upon receiving permission and registering the property, real estate can be sold and transferred to other persons without restrictions.
According to official representatives of Cyprus, property prices in the country remain low, and commercial banks provide mortgage loans in foreign currency for up to ten years. Thus, a two-bedroom apartment in Limassol, the second most populous city in Cyprus, costs just over €140,000.
Liberal rules do not apply throughout the island. At the end of 2006, a Russian married couple was detained at a customs checkpoint between the Greek and Turkish parts of Cyprus, accused of purchasing land in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. According to the authorities of the Greek part of the island, the property in Northern Cyprus has legal owners and can be confiscated by court order.
Zurich again named the best city in the world
Zurich has once again been named the most favorable city in the world to work. It is followed by another Swiss city – Geneva, the Austrian capital Vienna, Canadian Vancouver and New Zealand's Auckland.
This data comes from the consulting firm Mercer, which compiles an annual quality of life rating. The company specializes in evaluating human resources and provides information for HR and accounting departments of international corporations so that they can correctly calculate travel allowances for their employees based on actual living and working conditions in a particular location. When compiling the overall rating, Mercer specialists consider about forty parameters, including the standard of living, social stability, safety, climatic conditions, environmental conditions, development of infrastructure, healthcare and culture, as well as availability of goods and services.
The best indicators are noted for cities in Europe and Australia. At the opposite end of the ranking are third world countries. The bottom spot is occupied by Baghdad. Slightly better assessed are the African cities Brazzaville, Bangui and Khartoum.