In keeping with its expansion of travel-related features, Bing has launched new Attractions Pages, and an Attractions Tab as a search option. The feature is designed to be a way to find out more information related to specific tourist attractions for any given location.

Attractions bring together a number of bits of information for over 50,000 attractions around the world, offering addresses, details, reviews, video, and images all in one page.

The attractions pages themselves provide address, website, and phone information, as well as star rating system. They also provide things like related images and videos, maps, hours of operation, upcoming events, reviews, directions, nearby restaurants and parking, etc.

The Attractions page features, as many of the Bing vertical pages do, filters on the left hand side to narrow down your searches, say to museums, or by neighborhood, etc. Bing continues to expand the filtering features, as well, and one of our readers noted that “Narrow by Date” has recently been added as a filtering option for some searches.

As Stefan Weitz says in the video accompanying the blog post, Bing is continuing to “bring you structured information in a way that helps you make a decision”, as it continues to move beyond 10 blue links.

Send in your comments and feedback on what you think about this new feature.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is working on a plan that would open the region to foreign tourists in the same way Europe’s unified visa system (Schengen) has streamlined travel.

Jungle-covered temples at Angkor Wat in Cambodia, five-star beach resorts in Bali, shopping in Singapore or spicy street food in Thailand – Southeast Asia is a region that is considered to be one of the low-budget destinations in the world.

ASEAN countries are Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam, the Philippines, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Brunei.

Analysts say visitor numbers could be boosted by slashing the time-consuming and confusing visa requirements for each of ASEAN’s 10 countries, which range from vibrant developing democracies to isolated, military-dominated Myanmar.

While some allow foreigners to simply purchase visas on arrival, others require wads of paperwork, photos and up to a week to issue the required stamp. The concept of a single visa has wide support among tourism bodies across Southeast Asia.

ASEAN is yet to outline the cost or length of stay for its planned single tourist visa. But it acknowledges it could take several years to introduce. The single visa is one of several initiatives being worked on by ASEAN to boost tourism in the region. The organisation is also overseeing the creation of regional tourism standards which would apply to things such as accommodation, food and public toilets.

The Japanese Red Cross says Tokyo is safe for international travellers, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) said on Wednesday.

Senior IFRC official Matthias Schmale also told a news briefing that Japan was not asking for a massive international aid operation to help cope with its tsunami disaster, but would probably need financial support.

“The Japanese Red Cross is telling us that Tokyo is safe, as far as nuclear radiation is concerned, and that foreigners can come in to travel,” Schmale said.

He told the briefing the situation was changing all the time, but that the Geneva-based IFRC which links to Red Cross and Red Crescent societies around the globe had implicit trust in the Japanese society and its information.

A number of foreign governments have advised caution on their citizens travelling to Japan.

[Source: Reuters]

The U.S. Travel Association has released a report that recommends allowing travelers to check at least one free bag to address the issue of overburdened security checkpoints.

The report also calls on Congress to authorize the TSA to create a new trusted traveler program to speed security screenings of frequent travelers, and it encourages the airline industry and government to take a series of steps to streamline the entire airport screening process.

Read more at:
SmarterTravel.com
Dallas News – U.S. Travel Association calls for one free checked bag

United-Continental announced the expansion of mobile check-in and mobile boarding passes to United customers traveling with international itineraries. Customers may check in at united.com using a Web-enabled mobile device beginning 24 hours before departure.

Additionally, United’s mobile boarding pass option is now available to customers departing from airports in London, Munich, Amsterdam, Brussels, Geneva, Zurich, Moscow and Osaka. United plans to introduce the mobile boarding pass option at additional international airports, including Frankfurt, Tokyo Narita and Hong Kong, in the coming months. United currently offers paperless boarding at 62 U.S. airports, including its hubs in Chicago, Denver, Washington Dulles, San Francisco and Los Angeles.

Continental Airlines currently offers the mobile boarding pass option at 70 airports, including its hubs in New York, Houston, Cleveland and Guam, and international destinations including London, Frankfurt, Munich, Brussels, Zurich, Geneva, Amsterdam and Saipan. Customers flying on any Continental flight may check in at continental.com using a Web-enabled mobile device.

United and Continental mobile boarding passes display a two-dimensional bar code along with customer and flight information, which scanners at the security checkpoint and boarding gate validate. A refresh of the mobile boarding pass will reflect any changes to seat assignments, gate changes and upgrade confirmations. The technology prevents manipulation or duplication of the boarding passes and heightens security.

[Source: eTurboNews]

It can be difficult to make your way through an airport with a rolling suitcase, a bag and a cup of coffee. With the Tugo this task will be darn simple! This little rubber item straddles the pull poles of your rolling bag and provides a secure holder there for your coffee cup or travel water bottle.

Out of the box the Tugo tends to be a little stiff; loosen it up and it will hold your drink perpendicular to the ground no matter how the angle of your rolling bag changes.

And with the additional H2OTuGo, it can hold any bottle.

TuGo costs $9.95 on TuGo website and if you want the bottle holder, then it costs additional $3.

Amazon lists this product (only TuGo cup holder) at $15 at the time of publishing this article.

Croatia Travel Blog reports that PayPal has decided to let Croatians into the system. What that means is that Croatians can now receive money via PayPal as well as use PayPal for online purchases which they have been able to do for years.

From Croatia Travel Blog:

This change has a potentially large impact both on travellers looking for budget accommodation and on suppliers of rooms and apartments that market internationally. Previously, owners of private accommodation would demand a cash deposit to hold a room, particularly during the high season. The problem was that sending money via a wire transfer or via Western Union is costly which somewhat defeats the purpose of trying to save money on accommodation. Many travellers were uncomfortable sending money into the ether but accommodation owners felt they had little choice.

Now they do. Anyone in Croatia can open a PayPal account and receive payments that can be withdrawn either onto a Visa card or to a US bank. If you are a merchant or supplier of rental accommodation in Croatia this is the way to go. Just go to this link to get started.

If you are booking a private accommodation in Croatia and the owner asks for a transfer via wire or Western Union as a deposit, show them the post and urge them to sign up!

Dharamsala-McLedoganj, Himachal Pradesh The complete guide to the hilly, Buddhist & one of the best tourist places in India – Dharamsala-McLeodganj, in the hilly Northern state of Himachal Pradesh in India. Get all the information you need – getting there, getting away, excursions, sights & sounds, things to do, useful information, etc.  Price: $8.99

Jetblue
Increased the 2nd checked bag fee by $5 to $35.
Increased the fee for their “Even More Legroom” seats by $5.

American Airlines
Increased the fee for making a reservation by phone to $25 from $20.

Giving increasing fuel costs as a reason, most airlines are looking for ways to increase revenue without increasing airfare, which they have already done that six times this year! Not that they will reduce these hikes when the fuel costs come down.

To compare fees across airlines and see which one will ding you the most, check out this “Ultimate Guide to Airline Fees” compiled by SmarterTravel. It was last updated March 10 and is refreshed pretty regularly.

Read More:
Airlines readying a new round of fees [USA Today]
Airlines to Load On More Fees [WSJ]

The U.S. government is asking Americans who have travel plans to Japan to reconsider for now, while travelers already in the region are scrambling to figure out what to do next.

The U.S. Department of State has issued a travel alert strongly urging U.S. citizens to avoid tourism and nonessential travel to the country for the next few weeks as it deals with the massive earthquake that struck Friday.

“Tokyo airports are currently closed; other airports in Japan may be closed or have restricted access,” the agency said in a statement. “Public transportation, including trains and subways, are closed in the Tokyo area, and service has been interrupted in other areas. Many roads have been damaged in the Tokyo area and in northern Japan,” it said.

Strong aftershocks are likely for weeks following a strong earthquake such as this one, the U.S. Department of State notes. The travel alert expires on April 1.

If you have plans to travel to the region, many airlines are making it easier for you to postpone your flight.
American Airlines, Delta and United have issued travel waivers for passengers flying to, from or through Japan in the next several days. The waivers will allow travelers to change their plans without a fee.

Meanwhile, Japan’s Al Nippon Airways says its flights to and from Tokyo’s Narita International Airport may be delayed, canceled or diverted. The carrier is asking passengers to check the status of their flight online.
Cathay Pacific reports that it is likely its flights to Japan will be affected for days.

[Source: CNN]

Spirit Airlines announces services between Los Angeles and Las Vegas from $9 each way ($39 roundtrip, including taxes). Spirit Airlines launched this sale to celebrate its new nonstop service between the two cities.

The fare is available for Tuesday and Wednesday departures from May 10 – June 15. These rates also can be combined with discounted weekend fares, providing more flexibility.

Spirit’s carry-on fee applies to bags that need to go in an overhead bin – $30 when paid online; $45 at the gate but not for luggage that can fit beneath the seat, so pack light!

The fine print:
Fares must be booked on spirit.com for travel on the dates as specified by individual market and by market direction. Fares are valid for travel on Tuesdays and Wednesdays only between May 10, 2011 and June 15, 2011. Fares are each way based on roundtrip purchase, and roundtrip travel is required, but these fares may be combined with other valid and applicable Spirit Airlines fares on other dates of travel. To view and obtain the travel date specific fares, you must be logged in as a member of the Spirit Airlines $9 Fare Club.

Spirit Airlines – $9 each way between LA & Las Vegas

On March 1, Continental ended all free snacks in economy class. The airline expects the move will save $2.5 million a year.

Continental is matching the no-free-snacks policy at its merger partner, United Airlines. Among other big U.S. carriers, American and US Airways have also dropped complimentary “beverage snacks.”

AirTran, Delta and Southwest still have free pretzels, Biscoff cookies and peanuts. Frontier has baked-on-board chocolate chip cookies served after 10 a.m.

The United-Continentals recently announced that continental jets would eventually be outfitted with United’s “Economy Plus” seats, which offer more legroom for an extra fee.

Continental Airlines ends free pretzels for economy-class customers [Cleveland Plain Dealer]

Updated:
March 15, 2011
How do I apply for London 2012 Olympic tickets? [CNN]
Visa glitch hits race for London 2012 Olympics tickets [CNN]

March 6, 2011
The London 2012 Olympic Games is right around the corner and more information on tickets is available now. Applications for the nearly 8.8 million available tickets will be accepted between March 15 and April 26, 2011, while applications for the for Paralympic Games tickets will open on September 9.

London 2012 is using a random selection process for those sessions in which the demand is greater than the number of available seats so it doesn’t matter if you apply for tickets on the first day or last. If you do score tickets, payments will need to be made between May 10 and June 10.

Tickets for the games start at £20 with special prices available for kids under 16 and seniors over 60.

For those in the U.S., applications will need to be processed via the local National Olympic Committee (NOC) and the National Paralympic Committee (NPC). For NOC or NPC contact details, you can register your interest with London 2012 now and they will make all of the needed information available to you. Or, you can wait until March 15, when all of the ticketing details and contact information will be posted at tickets.london2012.com.

London 2012 [Official Site]

Ever wondered how many flights were cancelled or delayed by your favorite or not-so-favorite airline? What are the causes of those delays? Wolfram Alpha will determine these statistics for various airlines in U.S. Currently, only U.S.-based airlines are supported.

All you have to do is type in the name of the airline in the search box (example: Southwest airlines) of Wolfram Alpha and hit enter. The chart gives you all the information you need to know.

If you want to compare two airlines then simply type the following example in the search box and the site will give side-by-side comparisons for both the airlines:

Tip: Upon submitting your airline search, if you don’t see the statistical information that we have shown above, then make sure to click the “an airline” link (shown below). By default, Wolfram Alpha will show the airline as a financial entity.