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Tags: Travel Promotion Act / Travel News / Travel Fees / Tourism / → All Tags
TIME Tries To Explain Congress' Desire To Tax Foreign Tourists
TIME magazine has finally gotten around to covering the new government-funded US tourism board that we covered a few months ago. We're mentioning our post not because we posted the story way back in September, but because the way we emphasized the Travel Promotion Act was exactly the opposite of how TIME is covering it. It's not that the venerable news weekly didn't get to all the angles eventually. It's just that they took a different, kind of obnoxious road.
Whereas we highlighted how it's a bad idea for Congress to charge Europeans an extra $10 per trip, the better to promote Las Vegas hotels and restaurants, TIME took a more "reprint what the press release said" approach. Let's take a look at the article:
Tags: Fees / Travel Fees / Tourism Boards / International Travel / → All Tags
U.S. to International Visitors: Gimme Ten Bucks
Is a visit to the U.S. worth ten bucks? The U.S. Senate seems to think so. According to the AP, the Senate voted on Wednesday to charge a $10 fee to international visitors, with the proceeds funding a nonprofit corporation to promote tourism to the country. In order for the bill to become law, the House of Representatives would also have to approve it, but if they do, foreign visitors who do not need visas to enter the country would have to pay the fee each time they register online in advance of a trip.
Tags: Airports / Airport Fees / Travel Fees / LTN / → All Tags
Will You Pay £1 To Drop Your Loved Ones Off at the Airport?
Brace yourselves. Those pesky airline fees that you incur when you step inside the airport might be the least of your worries now. London's Luton Airport is now going to charge drivers £1 to drop off their passengers in a special drop-off zone at the airport. From The Times UK:
The levy, which will come into force some time after April 29, will be enforced at barriers at the exit of the zone....
An Airport spokeswoman said drivers who did not wish to use the drop-off zone could leave passengers at the mid-term car park where there is a free shuttle bus to the terminal two minutes drive away.
Actually, we're not so sure this fee is that horrible. If paying up will ensure that we get a full 10 minutes to drop off our friends and family without the hassle of the police shooing us away from the curb or threatening us with a ticket, then it might be worth it. Not that we're encouraging this fee in the States but have you ever tried to pick-up or drop someone off at Newark Airport? Terrible.
However, this airport drop-off fee could cause some new troubles with your love life. "Do you love me enough to pay the fee to drop me off?" might be the new "Do you love me enough to change your Facebook status to 'In a Relationship'?
Related Stories:
· Luton Airport to charge for passenger drop-off [Times UK]
[Photo of Luton: Robin Hamman]
