In a first-of-its-kind move, Hawaii lawmakers are ready to hike a tax imposed on travellers staying in hotels, vacation rentals and other short-term accommodations. They are earmarking the new money for programs to cope with a warming planet.

State leaders say they’ll use the funds for projects like replenishing sand on eroding beaches, helping homeowners install hurricane clips on their roofs and removing invasive grasses like those that fueled the deadly wildfire that destroyed Lahaina two years ago.

A bill scheduled for House and Senate votes this week — initially scheduled for Wednesday but moved to Friday — would add an additional 0.75 per cent to the daily room rate tax starting 1 January 2026.

It’s all but certain to pass given Democrats hold supermajorities in both chambers and party leaders have agreed on the measure. Gov. Josh Green has said he would sign it into law.

Officials estimate the increase to the tourist tax would generate $100 million (€88.4 million) in new revenue annually.

“We had a $13 billion (€11.5 billion) tragedy in Maui and we lost 102 people. These kind of dollars will help us prevent that next disaster,” Green said in an interview.

Green said Hawaii was the first state in the nation to do something along these lines. Andrey Yushkov, a senior policy analyst at the Tax Foundation, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit organisation, said he was unaware of any other state that has set aside lodging tax revenue for the purposes of environmental protection or climate change.

How much tax will tourists pay in Hawaii?

The increase will add to what is already a relatively large duty on short-term stays.

The state’s existing 10.25 per cent tax on daily room rates would climb to 11 per cent. In addition, Hawaii’s counties each add their own 3 per cent surcharge, and the state and counties impose a combined 4.712 per cent general excise tax on goods and services, including hotel rooms.

Together, that will make for a tax rate of nearly 19 per cent.

The only large US cities that have higher cumulative state and local lodging tax rates are Omaha, Nebraska, at 20.5 per cent, and Cincinnati, at 19.3 per cent, according to a 2024 report by HVS, a global hospitality consulting firm.

The governor has long said the 10 million visitors who come to Hawaii each year should help the state’s 1.4 million residents protect the environment.

Green believes travellers will be willing to pay the increased tax because doing so will enable Hawaii to “keep the beaches perfect” and preserve favourite spots like Maui’s road to Hana and the coastline along Oahu’s North Shore.

After the Maui wildfire, Green said he heard from thousands of people across the country asking how they could help. This is a significant way they can, he said.

The hotel industry has mixed feelings

Jerry Gibson, president of the Hawaii Hotel Alliance, which represents the state’s hotel operators, said the industry was pleased lawmakers didn’t adopt a higher increase that was initially proposed.

“I don’t think that there’s anybody in the tourism industry that says, ‘Well, let’s go out and tax more.’ No one wants to see that,” Gibson said. “But our state, at the same time, needs money.”

The silver lining, Gibson said, is that the money is supposed to beautify Hawaii’s environment. It will be worth it if that’s the case, he said.

Hawaii has long struggled to pay for the vast environmental and conservation needs of the islands, ranging from protecting coral reefs to weeding out invasive plants and making sure tourists don’t harass wildlife, such as Hawaiian monk seals. The state must also maintain a large network of trails, many of which have heavier foot traffic as more travellers choose to hike on vacation.

Two years ago, lawmakers considered requiring tourists to pay for a yearlong license or pass to visit state parks and trails. Green wanted to have all visitors pay a $50 (€44) fee to enter the state, an idea lawmakers said would violate US constitutional protections for free travel.

Boosting the lodging tax is their compromise solution, one made more urgent by the Maui wildfires.

There is a large gap in conservation funding

An advocacy group, Care for Aina Now, calculated a $561 million (€496 million) gap between Hawaii’s conservation funding needs and money spent each year.

Green acknowledged the revenue from the tax increase falls short of this, but said the state would issue bonds to leverage the money it raises.

Most of the $100 million (€88.4 million) would go toward measures that can be handled in a one-to-two-year time frame, while $10 to $15 million (€8.8 to €13.3 million) of it would pay for bonds supporting long-term infrastructure projects.

Kāwika Riley, a member of the governor’s Climate Advisory Team, pointed to the Hawaiian saying, “A stranger only for a day,” to explain the new tax. The adage means that a visitor should help with the work after the first day of being a guest.

“Nobody is saying that literally our visitors have to come here and start working for us. But what we are saying is that it’s important to be part of the solution,” Riley said. “It’s important to be part of caring for the things you love.”

Dreaming of a White Lotus-inspired holiday or hoping to take a selfie with Moo Deng, social media’s favourite pygmy hippo, in the background?

Before you jet off to Thailand, don’t forget to file your paperwork first.

Starting from 1 May, all non-Thai nationals entering the country by air, land or sea must complete a Thailand Digital Arrival Card (TDAC) before arrival.

What is the Thailand Digital Arrival Card – and how do you get one?

This new arrival card replaces paper forms to streamline the immigration process and better secure Thailand’s border entry system.

The TDAC system will be synced with the immigration bureau’s biometric database, allowing officials to quickly check the criminal backgrounds of international arrivals.

Travellers must register within three days of their arrival (meaning, within three days of travelling to Thailand).

After completing your registrationonline, you will receive a QR code to present at your immigration checkpoint on arrival.

That’s it. There are no fees and no other steps. But it’s vital to remember to do it, or you will be denied entry.

From May onward, the TDAC will be mandatory for all foreign passport holders, including tourists, business travellers and long-term residents.

The only exceptions apply to travellers transiting or transferring through Thailand without passing through immigration control.

Travel to Thailand is surging – again

With its idyllic tropical scenery, addictive cuisine and legendary hospitality, Thailand long ago evolved from its Hippie Trail roots into one of the world’s top travel destinations.

In 2019, nearly 40 million visitors arrived in the country, ranking it among the ten most-visited countries globally. Despite a global lull in travel during the COVID-19 pandemic, the momentum hasn’t slowed much.

In the first three months of 2025 alone, 9.5 million travellers touched down – many drawn by viral moments that spread like wildfire online.

Take Moo Deng, the hose-loving pygmy hippo whose name means “bouncy pork.” After a video of the slippery toddler splashing around at Khao Kheow Open Zoo lit up social media last year, crowds surged. The zoo, about an hour from Bangkok, smashed attendance records – and it’s still drawing thousands of daily visitors.

Then came the White Lotus effect. The newest season of the dark comedy, filmed on the sun-drenched islands of Phuket and Koh Samui, has re-ignited wanderlust among global viewers looking to holiday in high style.

According to Hotels.com, the ultra-luxury Four Seasons Koh Samui site saw a40 per cent increase in searches for property after it was announced as a filming location.

Despite anearthquake in March, travel has continued unabated to a country often called “Teflon Thailand” for its ability to bounce back from unrest and disruptions.

Whether you’re heading to Thailand to fulfil a luxury fantasy or spot its internet-famous wildlife, the first step to getting there now happens before you even leave home.

Just make sure your QR code is ready before you depart.

A sweeping power outage brought Spain and Portugal to a standstill Monday, halting trains and causing major disruption at airports.

At midnight, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez declared a state of emergency, which is still in place today.

Electricity was restored in more areas overnight with Red Eléctrica, a partly state-owned body that operates Spain’s national grid, reporting that 99.16 per cent of power had been returned to the country this morning. Portugal has now fully recovered from the blackout, according to the government.

Though power has now been restored in many places, the lingering effects of the outage are still having some impact on travel in both Spain and Portugal. Here’s what travellers need to know about train services and flight operations in Spain and Portugal today.

Are flights still delayed at Spanish and Portuguese airports?

The power outage sparked mayhem at airports in Spain and Portugal on Monday. There were no complete closures as airports were operating on backup generators.

While power has now been restored, knock-on effects from yesterday’s cancelled and delayed flights mean the disruption is ongoing today.

In a post on X, Aena, the company that runs 56 airports in Spain, said all airports remain operational.

“We recommend that passengers check the status of public transportation services arriving at the airports and consult with their airline about their flight status regarding possible rescheduling from yesterday,” the group added.

“Tonight, airports have adjusted their schedules to the needs of rescheduled passengers, and there have been no significant crowds in the terminals.”

Enaire, Spain’s air navigation manager, has said that air traffic control has returned to normal at the three control centres affected by the power outage: Madrid, Barcelona and Seville.

Despite this, many flights from Madrid, Barcelona and Seville were cancelled or delayed this morning as services return to normal. Some minor delays are still continuing in the afternoon.

Enaire is advising passengers to check the status of their flight with their airline before they travel to the airport.

In Portugal, the government has announced that all airports are now operating, although some recovery efforts are still underway in Lisbon.

A number of arrivals and departures from Lisbon airport were cancelled this morning, and most were operating with delays. These are continuing into the afternoon.

The airport operator is advising passengers to contact their airline before heading to the airport.

What are my rights if my flight was cancelled or delayed?

Over 500 flights across Spain and Portugal were scrapped on Monday due to the outage.

A total of 185 flights departing Portuguese airports were grounded and 187 arrivals cancelled.

At Spanish airports, 205 departing flights and 208 arrivals were scrapped, according to aviation data company Cirium.

Lisbon was worst affected with 45 per cent of departures grounded. Seville saw a third of departures cancelled, while Madrid and Barcelona each had around 50 departing flights cancelled.

If you were affected by the disruption, you may be entitled to compensation as part of the ‘Denied Boarding Regulations’, according to Ernesto Suarez, CEO of travel insurance company Gigasure.

Depending on your circumstances, you may receive some money for alternative travel arrangements, food, and accommodation if necessary.

“As the disruption has been caused by circumstances outside of the airline’s control, passengers may not get any compensation directly from the operator,” Suarez says.

“Those with travel insurance may have some financial protection if all, or part of, their trip is delayed, cancelled, or cut short due to the power outage. If the customer bought extended travel disruption cover, they may be covered for travel delay, abandoning or cutting short their trip and/or additional costs if they have to move accommodation or extend their stay.”

If passengers have already travelled and cannot return due to the power outages, many travel insurance policies will continue to provide cover until you can return at no additional charge, Suarez adds.

If you have extended travel disruption cover, you may also be entitled to compensation that covers any additional travel and accommodation costs until you can return, subject to your policy terms, conditions and exclusions.

Some travellers felt unsafe in their accommodation or were unable to access it.

“If your hotel had no working emergency lighting, air con, or fire safety systems, it may not have been safe to stay,” says travel and insurance expert Michelle Cooper from Saga Travel Insurance.

“If you decided you needed to move, make sure to keep all receipts and evidence of why you had to leave, such as photos or written confirmation from the hotel. Keep all receipts of your new accommodation for insurance claims.”

EasyJet offers stranded passengers free-of-charge transfers

EasyJet released a statement yesterday saying that the blackout was impacting access to some airports and affecting its flight operations in Lisbon, Madrid and Barcelona.

“Like all airlines, we are experiencing some disruption to our flying programme meaning that some return flights from Lisbon and Madrid have been unable to operate,” the airline said. “Our flying programme at Porto and Faro airports is operating as planned.”

The airline urged passengers to monitor local travel advice and flight trackers for updates.

They also say passengers in Spain or Portugal who are unable to travel are being provided with free-of-charge transfers within 72 hours or a flight voucher, according to the BBC.

Travellers locked out of Airbnbs during blackout

The power outage left some travellers with accommodation in Spain and Portugal as electronic locks on Airbnb doors stopped working.

One visitor from Paris on holiday in Portugal wrote on X that the door code to his rental would not work.

The BBC spoke to a couple from the US who experienced a similar situation and said they spent four hours wandering the streets of Madrid during the night, trying to find somewhere to sleep.

Train networks in Spain and Portugal are slowly returning to normal

Train services in both countries were thrown into chaos yesterday, with the power outage still impacting rail services today.

Emergency services in Spain said that they had rescued around 35,000 passengers stranded on railways and metro systems on Monday when trains were brought to a standstill. Many commuters resorted to hitchhiking home or walking for hours.

Spanish rail operator Renfe has said that urban train services in Madrid will operate at 50 per cent of capacity today.

High-speed and long-distance services between Madrid and Barcelona, Valencia, Murcia, Alicante, the Basque Country and Algeciras have all resumed normal operation.

That said, there are reports of crowds and long queues at stations as passengers whose trains were cancelled attempt to board alternative services or rebook tickets.

Trains are still suspended in the Galicia and Extremadura regions, while services in the Basque Country, Valencia, Zaragoza, Seville and Asturias areas are have resumed but with some delays.

Crowds crammed onto platforms as Madrid and Lisbon metros resume operations

Metro services in Madrid have also resumed normal operations.

A partial service was up at running at 8:00 am this morning, with around 80 per cent of trains operating during rush hour.

Now the whole network, including Line 7A which was still closed this morning, is “operating normally”, according to Jorge Rodrigo Dominguez, Madrid’s minister for housing, transport and infrastructure.

“All the lines of EMTmadrid and Interurbanos are 100 per cent operational and will be free throughout the day,” Isabel Díaz Ayuso, President of the Community of Madrid, wrote on X.

“The six transport interchanges in the region remain open as normal.”

Barcelona metro has also reopened with services back to normal, according to local authorities.

After many spent a rough night stuck on trains or sleeping in stations, there are likely to be long queues and much confusion as people attempt to make their way home.

Portugal’s rail network was also hit by the blackout, but travellers were already braced for disruption due to a national strike, which saw train services suspended on Monday anyway. The government has said that power has now been returned to the national transport network.

Lisbon and Porto’s metro systems are back up and running, with some minor delays.

Although there were outages in some parts of France, too, trains don’t seem to have been affected.

“In France, homes were without power for several minutes in the Basque Country. All power has since been restored,” said RTE, the French electricity operator.