11
In Tiberias, on the Sea of Galilee in Israel, a 15-minute, Vegas-style light show is held three times a night, year-round, weather permitting. With music, lasers, pyrotechnics and 30-foot dancing jets of water, video presentations are displayed on two huge “water screens.” The free show can be viewed from the south end of the Tiberias Promenade at 8:30, 9:30 and 10 p.m.
During the “Hiroshima Dreamination” festival in Japan, Nov. 6, 2010-Jan. 3, 2011, the city center will be strung with more than 1.3 million colored lights, and designers will compete at creating lighted “monuments” (a dozen or so).
Visitors may join the parade on opening day. A concert will be held each Saturday at Hiroshima Crystal Plaza. Visit www.hcvb.city.hiroshima.jp, click on “English,” then on “Major Events.”
Harrison’s Cave, in St. Thomas parish, Barbados, has completed an extensive redevelopment. A 40-minute guided tram ride reveals stalagmites, stalactites, limestone formations, underground waterfalls and the Great Cavern with its 100-foot-high ceiling.
From the clifftop, take one of three glass-fronted elevators or enjoy a hike down a cliff trail or a valley trail through lush flora to the valley floor to find the interactive Cave Interpretive Center.
The long-term project to turn Mont St. Michel, France, back into an island is progressing. The estuarine tidal island — a granite pinnacle located a kilometer off of Normandie in northwest France — is famous for its abbey that was carved deep into the rock from the 11th to 15th centuries.
Thailand’s Suvarnabhumi International Airport introduced a 17-mile Express Service train in August that connects the airport with Bangkok’s Makkasan area.
Two websites offer information, discounts and reservations for off-site airport parking at both car parks and hotel lots.
The year 2011 marks, respectively, 750 years and 800 years since the deaths of Shinran and Honen, important founders of two Japanese Buddhist sects. Memorial services will be held in Kyoto, Japan, March through January, with many events from March to late April. Most daily events will not be open to non-Buddhists.
Vacant hotel rooms in Kyoto will be scarce. Try near Osaka (30 minutes from JR Kyoto station) or Otsu (10 minutes). Contact the Japanese National Tourism Organization (in NY at 212/757-5640 or in CA, 213/623-1952, www.japantravelinfo.com).
New, high-speed Allegro trains will begin service between Helsinki, Finland, and St. Petersburg, Russia, on Dec. 12. With a top speed of 140 mph, and combined with faster border procedures, the trains will make the one-way trip in 3½ hours (down from 5½).
A one-way ticket costs €84 (near $114) second class or €134 ($184) first class. Available at travel agencies and train stations in Finland, it cannot be bought online or aboard the train. Visit www.vr.fi/eng.
Starting Jan. 1, 2011, Germany will levy a new Air Passenger Duty (ADP) on flights departing from German airports. Based on the distance to be traveled, the ADP will be €13 (near $17.50) for flights under 2,500 kilometers (about 1,553 miles) and €26 for longer trips.
On Nov. 1, the UK will increase its already high ADP to £12 ($19) for flights under 2,000 miles; £60, 2,000-3,999 miles; £75, 4,000-5,999 miles, and £85, 6,000 miles or more. All of these taxes are double for a passenger flying premium or premium-economy class.
The kingdom of Bhutan, which first welcomed tourists only in the 1970s, announced it will nearly triple the number of visitors allowed into the small country, from 30,000 in 2010 to 100,000 by 2012.