Destination innovation

Independent Travel Awards 2015 - your chance to nominate

Taj Mahal

The great wall of bureaucracy that once characterised visits to China has been breached. The authorities have extended the options for 72-hour visa-free stays to a dozen cities, allowing thousands more transit travellers to get a taste of the People’s Republic without all the red tape involved in getting permission for a longer stay. The requirement is for travellers to have an onward connection within 72 hours.

Closer to home, in Northern Ireland Gobbins Path has re-opened. This 1904 shoreline sensation has been revived for 2015 with a new visitor centre and state-of-the-art safety equipment, giving a fresh new view of County Antrim’s spectacular coast.

Freeport, Maine is a small and sleepy New England town that happens to be the home of L L Bean. The outdoor equipment company offers absurdly good value $25 “taster” sessions for an increasing range of activities, now including clay-pigeon shooting, archery and stand-up paddleboarding.

India finally extended its e-visa scheme to British passport-holders, cutting bureaucracy and fees from £92 to $60, putting the great subcontinent within the realms of a late-notice break at long last. And Vietnam offered visa-free travel for Britons until 30 June 2016, in a bid to increase tourist arrivals.