The world’s longest tram has made its debut on a line connecting three cities in the southwest of Germany.

Running along the lines of the Rhine-Neckar Metropolitan Region which includes Manheim, Ludwigshafen and Heidelberg, the giant tram measures exactly 58.61 metres from end to end – a world record.

It carries 368 passengers, has air conditioning and can travel at a speed of 80km/h.

Serving essentially as metropolitan trains, these record breaking trams will travel along both urban and inter-city routes. A modular design means it can be split up into sections for maintenance or the creation of different length trams.

The tram, which was delivered to Mannheim in September, was manufactured by Czechia’s Škoda Group. It is part of a more than €260 million package of trams ordered by the transport operator which is due to be fully delivered by the end of 2026.

The Rhine Necktar Region (RNV) network is no stranger to setting records for the length of its trams. Back in the 1960s, its 38.55-metre vehicle was also the longest tram in the world at the time.

Previously the record was held by a nine section, 55.9 metres long tram in Budapest which has run through the city since 2016.

What is the world’s longest ever passenger train?

These extra long trams are dwarfed by record-length trains.

In 2022, a Swiss railway company set a record for the world’s longest passenger train which was made up of 100 coaches and 25 engines for a length of 1,910 metres. Altogether the train weighed nearly 3,000 tonnes.

As if this was not impressive enough, it navigated up some 789 metres in altitude from Preda via Bergün to Alvaneu. Onboard are 4,550 seats but – unlike the speed trams – it could only travel at around 30 to 35 km/h.

The entire 61-kilometre journey along the UNESCO World Heritage Albula Line took around 46 minutes, travelling along historic viaducts and up spiralling rails. The train was entered into the Guinness Book of World Records for its incredible length.

Rhaetian Railway ran the world record-breaking train in honour of Swiss Railways 175th anniversary in 2022.

It’s been a long time coming, but Wales is shaping up to become the first country in the UK to introduce a nationwide tourist tax.

Details released yesterday (Monday) indicate that the levy will add £1.25 (€1.50) per night to the price of accommodation in Wales, or £0.75 (€0.90) for visitors staying on campsites and in hostels.

The tax won’t be universally applied across Wales. Rather, different regional councils will decide for themselves whether to introduce the levy in their area.

Some exemptions have been noted too, including when lodging with family or staying for an extended period.

First floated in 2018, a public consultation for the proposed tourist tax was held in 2022. Once it’s officially passed into law by the national parliament, the new Welsh tourist tax is expected to come into force in 2027.

What will Wales tourist tax be spent on?

Taxes on visitors are nothing new, but efforts have significantly ramped up in recent years.

As long ago as 1910, France introduced its ‘taxe de séjour,’ becoming the first country in the world to do so.

Today, more than 60 destinations around the world have such a tax in place, including Barcelona, Amsterdam and, since April, Venice.

In most cases, the proceeds from such taxes are used to fund specific projects or events, market the destination, or diversify the economy of areas reliant on tourist cash.

But Wales has another plan for its tax winnings, and it’s about protecting one of the country’s most unique elements.

Welsh language speakers are in decline: latest figures from the Welsh Government show that as of 30 June 2024, just 27.8 per cent of people aged three and over were able to speak Welsh.

This was the lowest percentage recorded in the last eight years – and around 1.4 percentage points lower than in 2023.

Will the tourist tax in Wales really help revive the national language?

Efforts are already underway to boost the language under the government’s Cymraeg 2050 plan, which aims to have a million Welsh speakers by 2050. To date, much of the work has focused on children, including school curriculum reforms and the promotion of Welsh-medium playgroups (Cylchoedd Meithrin).

But more efforts are needed to get to a million Welsh speakers, and the estimated £33 million raised from such a tourist tax is seen as a valuable vehicle for driving this change.

The new visitor levy could support the language “particularly within Welsh-speaking communities where tourism is considered a significant contributor to the local economy,”  said the Welsh Government”.

How this translates into concrete action remains to be seen, particularly given the element of local authority autonomy.

However, it also suggests that revenue could be used to “promote the visibility, vitality, and viability of the Welsh language, as well as increase the awareness and appreciation of visitors and residents alike”.

More UK cities are planning to charge  visitors

The idea of making tourists pay more to directly support the local area is gaining traction across the UK.

In August this year, Edinburgh announced plans to become the first Scottish city to introduce a tourist tax, which will apply from 2026.

In England, primary legislation would be required to permit a tourist tax, with neither central government nor local councils having the power to introduce such a levy.

However, other UK cities are getting in on the action via a legal workaround that could be rolled out more widely in the coming years.

Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) are partnerships operated by local businesses intended to provide additional services or improvements to a specific area.

Through this mechanism, cities can collect additional business rate payments (BID levies) from companies in that district. Several English cities have already used this to target tourism, and more are set to follow.

Manchester introduced an ‘accommodation BID’ in April 2023, known as the ‘City Visitor Charge.’

Liverpool established a similar system at around the same time, and tourism BIDs also exist in cities including Blackpool, Great Yarmouth, and Tweed Valley.

The combined unitary authority of Bournemouth, Poole and Christchurch (BPC) revealed plans to apply a £2 per night ‘visitor charge’ this summer, although a backlash from the hospitality sector has put the plans temporarily on hold.

BPC maintains that as many as 60 other UK cities are poised to introduce levies through the BID system.

China’s visa-free list continues to grow, with eight more European countries being added.

Citizens of Bulgaria, Romania, Malta, Croatia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Estonia and Latvia have now been granted visa waivers for the Asian nation.

Tourists from these countries, as well as Japan, will be able to enter China visa-free from 30 November 2024 until 31 December 2025.

Passport holders from Andorra, Finland, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Slovakia and Norway were recently added to the list, which grants them stays in China of up to 30 days without a visa.

Cyprus, Denmark, Greece, Portugal and Slovenia were granted the access in October.

It brings the total number of European countries granted visa-free access up to 38.

In July, tourists from Poland, Australia and New Zealand were also granted unrestricted entry to China until the end of 2025.

Since the start of 2024, the scheme has been announced in stages, with various European nations and Malaysia also gaining visa-free access. It aims to encourage more people to visit China for business and tourism, and promote exchanges between Chinese citizens and foreign nationals.

Which European countries can travel to China visa-free?

Citizens of 38 European countries can stay in China without a visa for up to 30 days.

The full list of European countries now includes Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Montenegro, the Netherlands, North Macedonia, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain and Switzerland. Tourists from these countries will be allowed to enter China for short stays without a visa until the end of next year.

The aim is “to facilitate the high-quality development of Chinese and foreign personnel exchanges and high-level opening up to the outside world,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said at a briefing on the initial announcement made in November.

International travel to China is still bouncing back

China’s strict pandemic measures, which included required quarantines for all arrivals, discouraged many people from visiting for nearly three years. The restrictions were lifted early last year, but international travel has yet to bounce back to pre-pandemic levels.

China previously allowed citizens of Brunei, Japan and Singapore to enter without a visa but suspended that after the COVID-19 outbreak. It resumed visa-free entry for Brunei and Singapore in July but has not done so for Japan.

In 2023, China recorded 35.5 million entries and exits by foreigners, according to immigration statistics. That compares to 97.7 million for all of 2019, the last year before the pandemic.

From July to September this year, China recorded 8.2 million entries by foreigners, of which 4.9 million were visa-free, the official Xinhua News Agency said, quoting a Foreign Ministry consular official.

The Chinese government has been seeking foreign investment to help boost a sluggish economy, and some businesspeople have been coming for trade fairs and meetings, including Tesla’s Elon Musk and Apple’s Tim Cook. Foreign tourists are still a rare sight compared to before the pandemic.

How else is China simplifying travel for Europeans?

Last year saw a surge in interest in China as a tourist destination among Europeans.

Data from online travel agency Trip.com showed a 663 per cent increase in overall bookings from Europe to China compared to 2022, and an almost 29 per cent increase on 2019.

The United Kingdom and Germany were among the top 10 sources of inbound travellers to China globally, the data shows.

Shanghai remains the most popular destination among Europeans with its alluring blend of modernity and tradition, followed by Beijing, Guangzhou and Shenzhen.

Sanya, a beachside city on the southern end of China’s Hainan Island, and Chengdu – the capital of southwestern China’s Sichuan province – are emerging destinations.

Beyond it’s new visa-free schemes, the country is further encouraging inbound tourism by promoting cultural and historical attractions in partnership with Trip.com. China is also enhancing tourism infrastructure by investing in technology, travel guides and e-payment systems.