Tag: Venice
Authorities must be clear about long-term goals before imposing tourist tax
Barcelona, Dubrovnik, Venice and Edinburgh. What do these European cities have in common? All of them either have or are in the process of imposing taxes on tourists.
Having tourists pay taxes to the local administration is not a new thing. And why shouldn’t they?
Why a tourist tax?
People who visit a place use local roads and pavements there, generate garbage, take up space in local transport, and avail the help of the police if needed. It is the local community that ultimately pays for all this. Continue reading Authorities must be clear about long-term goals before imposing tourist tax
‘The Sweater Guy’ knits sweaters of holiday spots, takes selfies
New York City (TAN): Travel can do you wonders, or at least bring out your creative best. And that’s what it did to Sam Barsky.
At age 43, Sam knits sweaters of famous global destinations, followed by travelling to the actual sites and clicking photos of himself wearing his creations.
The resident of Baltimore in the US east coast stitched his first sweater with an actual trip in mind about twenty years ago, that of the Stonehenge in the United Kingdom, and has knit 132 sweaters since.
Although the first sweater ‘of a specific landmark was the Tower Bridge in London’. “I was inspired by a picture I saw in a magazine. I had never been there before and did not make it for a specific trip. But, once I started knitting more landmarks, like the Golden Gate Bridge and Venice, I knew I wanted to go there while wearing them,” Forbes quoted him as saying.
Continue reading ‘The Sweater Guy’ knits sweaters of holiday spots, takes selfies
Edinburgh to charge tourists GBP2 per night
Edinburgh (TAN): Visiting Edinburgh could burn a deeper hole in tourists’ pockets very soon, as plans of introducing a tourist tax has won huge support. If implemented, visitors may have to shell out GBP2 per person per night.
In a research conducted by the City of Edinburgh Council, 85 per cent of 2,500 respondents, including over half of accommodation owners, supported the move, media reports said.
The public consultation on Transient Visitor Levy (TVL) proposed a GBP2 or a 2 per cent charge per room, per night on all types of accommodation, on short stays up to seven nights.
Continue reading Edinburgh to charge tourists GBP2 per night
Venice to levy tourism tax on daytrippers
Venice (TAN): Vacationing in Venice is all set to turn dearer, even if you have just a day trip in mind. City officials have plans to charge tourists up to EUR10 for visiting the Mediterranean destination.
The move was announced as part of a new budget policy in Italy, in order to curb overtourism and push the local economy.
Many travellers including cruise ship passengers come to the city for a day or less. While they usually choose not to book accommodations for this tiny window, they definitely end up adding to problems of crowding and overtourism.
Venice considers ban on tourists sitting
September 20 (TravelAndy): The familiar view of tourists resting or eating on church steps or squares in Venice could be a thing of the past with the authorities considering a ban on it.
Such activities could be made illegal and fines between EUR50 and EUR500 slapped on offenders if the ordnances, which is now before the city council, is passed, Ansa reported.
Tourists could even be expelled from the city that sees millions of tourists every year in particularly serious cases of offending the city’s “decorum”, the report said, citing sources and added that such offenders could be banned from the lagoon for life.
Bhutan pioneer in tourist-check trend: Report
July 29 (TravelAndy): Bhutan pioneered a trend that the rest of the world is starting to replicate now to check the adverse effects of tourism, Bhutan Times claims.
In the recent past, the residents of Barcelona, Venice and Berlin have protested against mass tourism that have adversely affected their everyday life.
Tourists have also been known to damage historical structures in popular destinations such as Angkor Wat.
The tiny Himalayan country of Bhutan, on the other hand, have been taking measures to discourage mass tourism for quite some time now. The kingdom only saw 254,000 tourists in 2017 and consequently, its popular tourist destinations are hardly every crowded. Continue reading Bhutan pioneer in tourist-check trend: Report
Venice: Protest against mass tourism
September 12 (TravelAndy): Hundreds of Venetians took to the city streets with trolleys today in protest against mass tourism, said reports.
The protest was organised by Generation 90, a group of people in their twenties and thirties worried about how the local residents are affected by the millions of tourists who visit the city every year.
With “Ocio ae gambe che go el careo (meaning ‘Watch your legs — I have my trolley’ in the Venetian dialect)” on their lips, the protesters hit the streets of the car-and-two-wheeler-less World Heritage Site city with shopping trolleys and strollers.
How to have the local experience
I hate to queue up to see a ‘tourist spot’ while visiting a new place. When I am travelling, I try to experience a slice of the life of the local person because, to me, that’s the best way to get a feel of a new place.
If you look at travel from a similar perspective, here are seven ways on how to have the local experience.
8 things to know about trains in Europe
Trains in Europe function in a considerably different way than they do in, say, India. So, it helps if you are somewhat aware of how things work before you get on a train in this continent. Here are 8 things to know about trains in Europe.
Great way to travel: Europe is very well-connected by the railway networks and for someone who does not have a car, trains are certainly a great way to go around and experience Europe. Continue reading 8 things to know about trains in Europe
How to find cheap flights
Flying is costly and airfares usually form a major part of people’s travel budgets. However, if you are determined to travel more and travel cheap, there are ways in which you can spend less on flying. Here’s how to find cheap flights.
Be flexible with dates: This is the factor that usually makes the biggest difference.
I went to Canada in 2013 and had planned to arrive in Vancouver in July. But that was around the time the Calgary Stampede took place and airfares were ridiculously high. I checked June prices and they were nearly INR30,000 less. I bought the June tickets.