Update travel tips around the globe

Back on track

The narrow-gauge Darjeeling Himalayan Railway has now been repaired and is back in action. Trains are once again running the entire length of the railway after repairs to damaged parts of the track, which originally opened in 1881. A landslide four years ago forced the operators to close portions of the railway, which was built by India’s British colonial rulers and now is part of a Unesco World Heritage program. Tickets for rides along the 87-kilometre stretch between Siliguri and Darjeeling are available online. The train travels each way once a day. |– DPA

 

Cheaper ways to fly

Korean Air, the flag carrier airline of South Korea and the largest airline in South Korea, is feeling the heat of low-cost carriers (LCC), with passenger numbers decreasing in 2014 for the second consecutive year. Experts say the drop in passengers is influenced by the growing number of low-budget airlines and foreign air carriers that have been aggressively targetting the market. Some 16.6 million passengers used Korean Air’s international flights in 2014, down 46,000 or 0.3 per cent, compared to the previous year. |– The Korea Herald/ANN

 

Hop on a bus

Visitors to Cairns can now explore the tropical Australian city by double-decker bus. Tours start half-hourly from The Pier bus terminal. 

 Adults pay 35 Australian dollars (Bt900) for a ticket that can be used on a hop-on, hop-off basis over a period of 24 hours. If you just stay on board, the tours last 60 or 90 minutes, depending on the route. The bus stops at 14 locations throughout the Queensland city including Cairns Lagoon, the Night Markets and the Tjapukai Aboriginal Cultural Park.

 

New train for LAX

Los Angeles Airport is attempting to create better connections to public transportation to help relieve traffic congestion and limit waiting times on the streets around the airport. A new LAX Train will start in 2017 and will connect the terminals with parking lots, the 95th Street/Aviation Boulevard metro stop and rental car companies. More than 50 per cent of passengers currently arrive by private car, with more than 6,000 cars driving up to the airport per hour at busy times. – DPA

 

Shop till you drop

China has introduced a nationwide tax refund policy for the first time to encourage spending by more overseas tourists. Tourists from overseas and those from Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan who have lived on the Chinese mainland for no more than 183 days will be eligible for a rebate of 11 per cent on consumer goods bought at designated department stores. The minimum purchase to qualify for a tax refund is 500 yuan (about Bt2,600) at any one store in a day. |– China Daily/ANN