Taxes on flights from U.K. to double

United Kingdom

With the dollar trading at a 14-year low against the British pound, it's not as if vacationing in the United Kingdom wasn't already expensive enough for American travelers. Now comes a tax on all flights from the U.K. that's set to double Feb. 1. On long-haul flights, including returns to the United States, the tax will be about $78 in coach and $157 in premium class.

For flights within the European Union, the U.K. tax will jump to about $20 in economy class and $40 in premium. The tax must be paid even if you bought a ticket before the tax was announced. Airlines can charge you or pay it themselves; decisions have not yet been made how to proceed, several airline representatives said. Although it's said to be an environmental tax, airlines complain it will simply fill tax coffers.

Hawaii

Airlines drop ticket prices for holiday travelers

The interisland airfare war is heating up just in time for the holidays, with carriers slashing already low prices and one airline offering to board passengers for free on Christmas Day.

Upstart carrier go! dropped one-way fares on Christmas Day flights to $25, down from an earlier offer of $29. Aloha and Hawaiian, the state's two biggest carriers, immediately matched the holiday offer for some seats.

Pacific Wings, a smaller carrier that flies turboprop planes, took the price slashing a step further, saying all customers would fly free on Christmas.

The latest airfare battle started last week when go! lowered one-way fares for interisland travel through Jan. 31 to $29. Maui-based Island Air followed with an announcement it would offer $12 return flights for customers buying round-trip interisland tickets.

Luring visitors with clean, air-conditioned loos

Malaysia unveiled high-tech public toilets as part of a campaign to wash away bad toilet habits ahead of a major tourism drive next year.

The state of Malaysia's public toilets has become a hot-button issue, with tourists saying they were often dirty and lacked basic items such as soap and paper.

Ushering in a "national loo culture," the capital, Kuala Lumpur, will have 23 of the new self-cleaning toilets. The air-conditioned toilets have an automatic seat cleaner that washes, scrubs and dries the bowl after every use. The entire toilet will be cleaned in a similar manner after every five users.

National parks

Zion fees rising in 2007; cost will be $25 per car

The cost to visit Zion National Park in Utah will increase 25 percent to $25 per car, starting Jan. 1, the first raise since 2000. Bicyclists, motorcyclists and pedestrians, 16 years or older, will pay $12, a $2 or 20 percent increase. Both fees are good for seven days.

"The monies that the park collects from these increased entrance fees will go directly toward benefiting the visitors through improved services and facilities," said superintendent Jock Whitworth.

On Jan. 1, the government will also start selling the $80 America the Beautiful pass, good for entry to federal recreation sites, including national parks, across the country for one year.

National park information: www.nps.gov

Cruising

Virus outbreaks increase on ships

The largest cruise ship in the world, Royal Caribbean's Freedom of the Seas, was out of commission two days earlier this month to be disinfected under the supervision of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Why? On three consecutive sailings, passengers and crew became sick from norovirus.

So far this year outbreaks have been reported on 28 cruises that used U.S. ports, compared with 19 last year and 36 in 2004. The virus thrives in any environment with people in a confined space. Symptoms usually last only a day or two, but victims are contagious from the moment they first feel ill until at least three days after recovery. Best defense: Wash your hands.

Two destinations tapped as travel "hot spots"

Cruising to Alaska and visiting the San Juan Islands are two of the top hidden travel "hot spots" identified by the online travel agency, Orbitz, for 2007.

Cruising is one of the fastest growing segments of the travel industry, and Orbitz says ships plying Alaska's Inside Passage offer the chance to see whales, fjords and maybe grizzly bears all in one day.

Since 2005, 12.6 million people have started kayaking, according to the Outdoor Industry Association. This growth has spurred interest in travel to places such as the San Juan Islands, Orbitz said. Kayakers can explore the islands' landscape and wildlife, which includes orca whales, seals and a variety of birds.

Orbitz' other "hot" destinations include New Orleans; Jamestown, Va.; Valencia, Spain; and Krakow, Poland.

Compiled by Times staff and news services