Travel Briefs

Starting on Jan. 1, 2016, all travelers flying into New Zealand will be charged an arrival tax of NZD16 (near $10.70). An NZD6 ($4) departure tax is also being considered. The money will go toward improving border protection.

Visitors to the Maldives, an archipelago nation in the Indian Ocean, now can get free, 30-day tourist visas upon arrival. To qualify, a visitor must have a valid passport, a return ticket out of the Maldives and proof of financial capacity to cover expenses while in the Maldives (measured at $150 a day) or a hotel reservation.

A visitor can extend his visa to a total of 90 days by filling out a Visa Extension Application Form with the Department of Immigration for an additional fee of MVR750 (near $49).

The mayor of Ador, on the Mediterranean in eastern Spain, declared that the interval between 2 and 5 p.m. would be the city’s official naptime, during which residents are asked to reduce noise and keep children indoors. The mayor said this was “merely a suggestion” and there would be no penalties for violations.

Cruises to Havana, Cuba, from Miami with Carnival Cruise Lines (800/ 764-7419, www.carnival.com) were approved by the US Department of the Treasury on July 7. The 7-night biweekly sailings will begin in May 2016, and itineraries will meet US regulations for People-to-People travel, which do not allow for free time on the island. Cruise fares were starting at $2,990 per person, double, plus.

As of July 1, Kenyan tourist and transit visas can be applied for and purchased online, and as of Aug. 31, visas are no longer available upon arrival.

For an e-visa, go to www.ecitizen.go.ke, click on “Register,” then register as a visitor. Logged in, click on “Department of Immigration Services,” then on the application for the type of visa wanted. Completely fill out the application, submit it and pay the nonrefundable fee ($51 for tourist visa or $21, transit) online with a credit card. 

On July 18, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) gave Thailand’s Department of Civil Aviation 65 days to rectify shortcomings in its aviation safety standards, citing a shortage of qualified aviation inspectors plus improper testing and an incomplete air manual.

In Abu Dhabi, an Australian woman was fined $2,700, spent 53 hours in custody and was deported from the United Arab Emirates on July 15 for posting a picture to Facebook of a car parked across two handicapped parking spaces near her apartment and adding criticism.

Though the woman’s post did not identify the driver of the car, a complaint of “writing bad words on social media” was filed under the UAE’s Cybercrime Law, resulting in her arrest and conviction. UAE’s Cybercrime Laws were enacted in 2012 to reduce online dissent against the government. 

Located in Longgang National Geological Park in southwestern China’s Chongqing Municipality, the Yuanduan skywalk opened on April 26. The horseshoe-shaped, glass-floored bridge extends out 87½ feet from a cliff edge 2,350 feet above the valley floor. 

Northwest of Shanghai, China, the city of Suzhou — known as the “Venice of the East” due to its many canals — has created an English website. 

TraveltoSuzhou.com describes the history of the 2,500-year-old city and lists sites of interest, trip-planning tips, things to do, festival dates, shopping attractions and tour packages.

As ITN went to press, the State Department had travel warnings on 38 destinations: Afghanistan, Algeria, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Colombia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, El Salvador, Eritrea, Haiti, Honduras, Iran, Iraq, Israel/West Bank/Gaza, Kenya, North Korea, Lebanon, Liberia, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Mexico, Nepal, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Republic of South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Ukraine, Venezuela and Yemen.