Vietnam to offer VAT refunds

This pilot VAT refund scheme will be implemented from July 2012 to June 30, 2014. Under the pilot scheme, any foreigner leaving Vietnam with an invoice worth at least VND2 million (US$95.2) from a shop on a day can claim VAT refunds at the two major terminals. – Viet Nam News

 

Tibet Airlines launches three new routes

Tibet Airlines is launching three new routes with its Airbus A319 linking Tibet to other parts of China. The three new routes are Nyingchi to Lhasa, Chengdu and Chongqing. Flights from Nyingchi Mainling Airport to Lhasa will be every Monday and Thursday, to Chengdu on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, and to Chongqing every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. The full price for an economy class ticket is 1,380 yuan (US$219) for all three new routes. – China Daily

 

Nights in old Radstadt

Visitors to the Austrian town of Radstadt can trace the town's medieval past in a night-time tour led by a night watchman. Tours are scheduled for February 6 and 27 at 6pm and on March 29 at 8.30 pm. During the Middle Ages, Radstadt was a city of commerce. The nightwatchmen guides, dressed up in historical costumes and carrying lanterns, will take tourists around to see such old sites as the town walls and the Capuchin steeple, the region's local tourism authority said. The tour, lasting about an hour, winds up in the city’s parish church, where visitors can then listen to organ music. Visit www.Radstadt.com.

 

Carnival on the Cote

While the skiing season is still in full swing in the Alps, several major festivals will be starting up in the Cote d’Azur region to usher in the spring season. On February 17, three events will get under way. The shrinking violet festival in Mandelieu-La Napoule, running through February 26, will be inviting visitors to, among other attractions, a parade of violets. Meanwhile, carnival in Nice will be staged this year under the slogan “King of Sport” and runs through March 4. In Menton, the annual Lemon Festival will be held, running until March 7. Visit www.OT-Mandelieu.fr and www.NiceCarnaval.com.

 

Biofuel all the way

Etihad Airways showed its support for green energy by using biofuel on the delivery flight of its Boeing 777-300ER from Seattle to Abu Dhabi. The 14-hour delivery flight of the airline’s newest and most efficient long haul aircraft was operated using a combination of traditional jet fuel and plant-based jet fuel, which is fully certified for use as commercial jet fuel. This flight marks a significant milestone in the airline’s efforts to support new energies, notes Etihad Airways’ president James Hogan, and drive the commercialisation of sustainable aviation fuel in Abu Dhabi.

 

In the Kaiser’s gardens

Vienna’s city gardens will be marking their 150th anniversary this year in a special exhibition of the Gardening Museum. The park situated on the inner city’s ring boulevard, the Ringstrasse, is considered to be the oldest public park in the Austrian capital, founded by Kaiser Franz Joseph in 1862. The special exhibition opens on April 5, with a two-day festival scheduled June 16-17. – dpa