Tourists travelling to Belgium from today will be impacted by the additional charges. They received an email, in which they were told how much extra they would have to cough up.

Belgian Embarkation Tax, which comes into force today, was first proposed by the country’s government last October on distances of less than 500 km in order to encourage alternatives. However, it will now apply to all flights, including passengers travelling by private plane or helicopter, reports the Liverpool Echo.

In the email, Ryanair said: “On 25 March 2022, Belgium introduced a new flight tax on passengers departing Belgium from 1 April 2022. This means that even if a passenger booked a flight before 25 March, which is due to depart Belgium on or after 1 April, we must pay this new tax to the Belgian government.

“This new tax is charged at the rate of between €2 and €10 depending on destination.”

The applicable tax in respect to flights to the UK is understood to be €4 (approximately £3.37) per passenger.

Airlines, including Air Belgium, Brussels Airlines, and TUI, last month expressed their disappointment at the establishment of the tax.

A Belgian Air Transport Association (BATA) spokesman said: “This decision is legally questionable, as it does not follow the recommendations of ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization), that as from the moment the official texts have been finalised and validated by the different instances (yesterday by the Parliament), an implementation timeline of at least four months is necessary to update the different booking systems and inform the passengers.”

BATA also pointed out that this new tax represents an additional financial burden for the Belgian aviation sector

“Our UNESCO Biosphere status also highlights how unique the island is. It’s an accolade that we’re immensely proud of and want to share.

“From our many activities and attractions to our natural landscapes and local produce, we invite visitors from around the world to experience the very best of what the island has to offer, to create their very own extraordinary story.”

The Isle of Man is situated between England and Ireland and offers a rugged coastline and medieval castles.

Tourists can trace the history of the island’s Celtic and Viking heritage at the Manx museum in the capital.

Under current UK law, British expats are prevented from voting in General Elections if they have lived abroad for more than 15 years. A new law that would scrap the ban has passed the committee stage in the House of Lords.

The Conservative party has promised to scrap the law in election manifestos and may now be one step closer.

An estimated three million Britons live and work abroad, including in EU countries such as Spain and Portugal.

Harry Shindler, who has fought to scrap the law for 20 years, said: “I’ve been campaigning for this for the last 18 years.

“And although it has to go back to the House of Commons, it’s now as good as a done deed.

READ MORE: Manchester airport has ‘huge problems’ says Simon Calder

“This is a historic moment and Britons all over the world will be celebrating.”

However, not everyone agrees that British expats should be able to vote in elections held in the UK.

Paul Scriven, a Liberal Democrat peer, said: “How would that be perceived as fair and a good platform for our electoral process?

“People who have not lived here for 50 years will have the right to vote and influence Government policy, even though it does not directly affect them.”

DON’T MISS

Britons could be detained, fined or even banned from re-entering the EU if they break the 90 day rule.

Some expats, often known as ‘swallows’, have campaigned for an extension to the 90 day rule.

‘Swallows’ are Britons who travel to Spain for the winter to avoid the cold season in the UK, often staying around six months.

Under new rules, they can only stay in Spain for 90 days at a time unless they have applied for residency.

If time is tight, direct flights might be the only option for British tourists. However travellers who can afford to take a little longer could save with a non-direct route.

Nick said: “Turn your search mode to private or incognito. Booking sites will often track your browsing habits, to see how many times you check rates for particular dates and may increase the price of holiday packages so you feel the urgency to book.”

Tourists could also use one account to search for their holiday and then get a fellow traveller to book the holiday.

Nick added: “Though it may seem quite an obvious one, the best way you can save money when booking a holiday is booking far in advance or at the very last minute.

The flight operating this route would usually fly over the Pacific ocean.

The new Cathay Pacific flight could be the world’s longest commercial passenger flight to date by distance

The Hong Kong to New York service would fly 9,000 nautical miles, which is around 10,357 standard miles.

The carrier explained its plans to fly from JFK Airport, in New York, over the Atlantic Ocean, the UK, southern Europe and central Asia.

The Cathay flight will take about 17 hours.

READ MORE: The surprising laws British tourists should watch out for in Spain

The current world’s longest flight by distance is the Singapore Airlines flight from Singapore to New York, which was 9,534 standard miles.

A Cathay Pacific representative explained: “We are always running contingency routings for potential events or scenarios within the world of aviation.

“We compare flight routes daily, and will plan and fly what is the most efficient routing on the day.

“The transatlantic option relies on the facilitation of strong seasonal tailwinds at this time of the year in order for the flight time to be between 16 and 17 hours, thereby making it more favourable than the transpacific route.

DON’T MISS

This was the latest disruption to the airline which has faced a number of IT meltdowns in recent months.

Passenger Will Karkar tweeted: “Been stuck at Heathrow for 2.5 hours unable to check in with BA due to them experiencing a ‘global IT system failure’.”

BA said: “This has now been resolved.”

Rory Boland, of Which? Travel, said: “Airlines should be offering a refund or to reroute passengers.”

“You should also be alert to the symptoms, which include coughing, a high temperature, difficulty breathing, chest pain, confusion, delirium and diarrhoea.

“Bear in mind that people who contract Legionnaires’ disease don’t always show all these symptoms, especially in the early stages of infection, so any of these in isolation could be an indication that you have the disease.

“If you suspect you have contracted Legionnaires’ disease, seek medical advice promptly.

“Certain antibiotics are very effective at treating the disease, but they are most successful if treatment is started early.

Unvaccinated British tourists can now travel to France as long as they present a negative Covid test. The UK has now been moved to France’s green travel list.

Guillaume Bazard, France’s consul général in London, tweeted: “On March 31, the United Kingdom will be placed on the green list.

“Abolition of compelling reasons for non-vaccinated travellers, who will have to present a negative test (72 hour PCR or 48 hour TAG) entry into force upon publication in the Official Journal.”

Before the rule change, unvaccinated people could not travel to France unless they had an essential or compelling reason for travel approved by authorities.

If they were allowed to travel, they had to isolate for seven days after arrival in France.

READ MORE: Manchester airport has ‘huge problems’ says Simon Calder

France introduced tougher travel restrictions after the emergence of the Omicron variant in the UK.

Britons were even completely banned from France for a while due to fears over the new variant.

Vaccinated Britons will no longer have to complete France’s passenger locator form and can enter with proof of vaccination.

Britons who had a second jab more than 270 days ago will need to have a booster to count as vaccinated in France.

DON’T MISS

Britons looking for sunny weather should try the stunning south of France where temperatures are likely to be warm in April.

Cities such as Nice and Cannes offer Britons beaches, delicious food and stylish boutique shopping.

Budget flights fly to most major French cities from UK airports with deals still available for spring.

British tourists will still need to comply with local Covid rules in their holiday destination and should check the UK Government website for the latest advice.

IHG hotels include InterContinental, Holiday Inn, Crowne Plaza and more. The hotel chain has just announced a brand new offer that’s perfect for all family holidays.

IHG has launched the new Grandparents Stay For Free offer, which is inspired by two years lost of family moments because of the pandemic.

According to IHG research, 52 percent of grandparents agree that making new memories with the extended family is a key priority for 2022.

Available now, guests can book two rooms for two nights and get the cheapest room free on check-in. 

The offer is valid at select IHG hotels across the UK, Ireland, France and Germany including Holiday Inn, Crowne Plaza and more.

To redeem the offer, book hotels directly here.

The offer is available to book from now until 20 April 2021 and is valid on stays from 6 April – 15 July 2021.

It’s the perfect opportunity to book a family holiday for Easter or summer getaway.

Please note, bookings must be made seven days before check-in date.

Bookings must be made under the same family name for two rooms in the same hotel.

When booking, guests will see a charge on the second room but the hotel will reduce the cheapest room charge to zero on check-in.

This deal is only valid on room only bookings with a maximum of two rooms per booking. 

View T&Cs here.

Karin Sheppard, Managing Director at IHG Hotels & Resorts in Europe, said: “We value the importance of family time and helping our guests to reconnect – that is why we created our Grandparents Stay for Free offer, hopefully making coming together hassle free and enabling these families to focus on spending quality time together again.”

According to research conducted by IHG, a third of grandparents felt the loss of not receiving hugs and a fifth of all those surveyed missed making each other laugh.

Reconnect with your grandparents and book the offer here.

View the full list of valid hotels here.