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Scottish Snowdrop Festival, walking on the Costa Blanca, and Madagascar visas: Travel agenda
Where to go and what to know
Visa change
Travellers to Madagascar can now get a 30-day tourist visa at the airport on arrival, according to the latest Foreign Office travel advice. You pay the €31 fee in cash in Malagasy ariary, US dollars or euros. Meanwhile, Turkish Airlines is increasing flights to the island from its Istanbul hub.
Vanuatu axed
The South Pacific island of Vanuatu is now harder to reach, after both Air New Zealand and Qantas suspended operations because of concerns about the runway in the capital, Port Vila. Virgin Australia was quoted as saying its aircraft could "continue to safely operate” to the island earlier this week, but has subsequently suspended flights.
Flower power
The Scottish Snowdrop Festival returns this weekend, with almost 60 venues showing the white flowers in walled gardens, historic castles, nature reserves and more. Running until 13 March, the festival features special events, such as a night-time snowdrop display at Cringletie House, Peebles.
Bay window
An “expanded and transformed” San Francisco Museum of Modern Art will reopen on 14 May. The exhibition space will be three times larger, including a ground-floor area with free public access and an Alexander Calder mobile. Matisse and Warhol are among the artists featured.
NZ express
Auckland becomes just two hops from Gatwick, Birmingham, Manchester, Newcastle and Edinburgh from 1 March, when Emirates launches a non-stop link from Dubai to New Zealand's largest city. It competes with Air New Zealand's one-stop flight from Heathrow via LA.
Toulouse move
Competition to south-west France is set to increase from 1 November, when Ryanair starts flying daily from Stansted to Toulouse. Skiers heading for the Pyrenees can take advantage of lower-than-average prices on the new link, which faces competition from BA from Heathrow and easyJet from Gatwick. ryanair.com
Dragon flies
The Dragon Trip, which runs a range of backpacking adventure tours of China, is expanding to Japan. A 13-day trip, starting and ending in Tokyo, but taking in Kyoto, Hiroshima and the Takaosan Mountain, costs £1,499 for departures on 12 September and 10 October, with transport, accommodation and guiding, but not flights.
Spanish strolls
Alicante airport is gateway to more than just the resorts of the Costa Blanca, most notably Benidorm. Walking on the Costa Blanca by Terry Fletcher, published this month by Cicerone (£14.95), describes 50 circular walks and scrambles in the mountains that rise up from the shoreline.
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