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International & Local Travel
Great Barrier Reef threatened by oil slick: A badly damaged Chinese coal carrier ran aground on Saturday 3 April causing a three-kilometre (two mile) oil slick in the scenic tourist spot off the coast of Queensland. The ship is now stranded on Australia's World Heritage-listed Great Barrier Reef and is threatening to break up and spill more oil into the pristine waters teeming with some of the world’s most incredible marine life.
Machu Picchu reopens to tourists: Peru's most famous archaeological site, Machu Picchu, has formally reopened after it was closed for two months after severe floods. Peru had lost some $200m (£131m) in revenue because of the closure of the site which sees up to 2,000 tourists a day. Hundreds of tourists took the train to the 15th Century Inca ruin - the most-visited site in Latin America. Around 90% of Peru's tourist revenue comes from the Cuzco region, where Machu Picchu's two-month closure meant the loss of about 60,000 tourists.
Ryanair increases baggage charge: Ryanair has increased the fee it charges to check in baggage by 33% to £20 per piece of luggage. The fee took effect for people booking tickets from midnight on 6 April, for anyone travelling during July and August. The new charge is only set to come into effect during July and August. Families travelling during the school holidays are going to be particularly hard hit. Flying with Ryanair is not always as cheap as it first appears and travellers are advised to factor in these extra costs when choosing who to fly this summer.
Aspen extends ski season: According to Aspen Skiing Co. there's been enough snow and cold temperatures to extend the ski season at Aspen Mountain for two more weekends. The mountain was planned to close on 11 April, but resort officials has said that lifts also would run for the weekends of 17 - 18 April and 24 – 25 April.
Flybe launches 24 new routes: UK airline Flybe launched its new summer schedule featuring an added 24 routes and up to 3,850 flights per week. New routes include flights from Edinburgh to Guernsey, Bristol to the Isle of Man and Birmingham to Limoges. The airline will also reintroduce popular summer destination routes for the 2010 season, including Glasgow to La Rochelle and Exeter to Rennes.
International Safety and Security
Indonesia: A major earthquake measuring 7.7 on the Richter scale shook the Indonesian island of Sumatra on Wednesday 7 April, prompting a tsunami warning and sending residents rushing for higher ground. At least five strong aftershocks measuring up to 5.2 were recorded. Travellers in the area should remain alert of the possibility of more aftershocks and monitor all local advisories.
Brazil: At least 89 people have been killed in floods after more than 15 hours of constant rain in Rio de Janeiro state in Brazil. Flights in and out of the city were cancelled or seriously delayed and many neighbourhoods were cut off from power and transport. The downpour is the worst in Rio in 30 years. Travellers in the area are urged to monitor all local advisories.
Health
South Africa: There has been an outbreak of Rift Valley Fever in South Africa. The Free State province has been the worst affected, with 37 cases, while the Northern Cape and Eastern Cape provinces have also had several isolated cases. The disease is spread by mosquitoes and through contact with infected animals or contaminated meat. Although persons at highest risk include farmers, farm workers, veterinarians and other individuals in close contact with animals, travellers in the affected areas are still advised to take measures against contracting the disease, such as using insect repellent and wearing long-sleeve shirts and long pants at dawn and dusk, when mosquitoes are most active. |
