Lhasa announces incentives for agents to revive tourism

LHASA - Travel agencies will get bonuses for taking more tour groups to Lhasa, capital of southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, the local government has announced.

eTN Inbox: Tibet is open for visitors

Tourism is running smoothly despite political changes in Nepal. There was marginal tourist decline in the last 3 months because of the restriction imposed by China to Tibet travelers.

Tibet tourism recovers in June-Lhasa government

BEIJING - The number of tourists visiting Tibet recovered to 100,000 in June, the Lhasa city government said on Sunday, after falling to zero after fatal ethnic clashes in March.

Tibetan festival banned, Lithang Travel Ban

Authorities in a Tibetan region of China’s southwestern Sichuan province have ordered a build-up of security forces in the region and canceled an annual horse-racing festival that was marked by prot

eTN Inbox: Tibet is safe

Namaste! Greeting from the Himalayan kingdom of Nepal!

Tibet reopened to foreign visitors

More than three months after a wave of violent anti-China protests, Tibet has reopened to foreign tourists, Chinese state media said.

Tibet reopens to foreign tourists

BEIJING - Tibet will be reopened to foreign tourists from Wednesday, China's official Xinhua news agency said, after the region was shut off to foreign visitors following riots there in March.

Tourism, an economic lifeline for many, plunges in Tibetan areas after protests and crackdown

XIAHE, China - Labrang, a Tibetan Buddhist monastery famed for its sacred scriptures and paintings, was nearly deserted over the May Day holiday.

A few pilgrims in traditional robes turned prayer wheels. Several young monks kicked a soccer ball on a dirt field.

US issues Beijing Olympics travel warning

(eTN) - Citing that "there is a heightened risk of attacks" during the Beijing Olympics, the US State Department has warned travelers that extremist groups might conduct terrorist acts within China "in the near future."

China says Tibet to be reopened soon for foreign tourists

Beijing - Tibet would reopen to foreign tourists in the "near future", an official said today over a month after the Himalayan region was sealed to quell the most violent anti-China protests in two decades.

Dalai Lama's US visit roils US-China relations

The Dalai Lama's high-profile visit is stirring pro- and anti-China sentiment in the US as the White House prepares to host the exiled Tibetan leader next week.

No queues for tourists in Lhasa, China says

BEIJING - The Tibetan city of Lhasa plans to focus on luring Chinese tourists this summer, in the wake of deadly rioting, a ban on foreign visitors and international protests over Beijing's policy in the region, state media said.

China reverses plan to reopen Tibet to tourism

The Chinese authorities appear to have U-turned on plans to allow foreigners back into Tibet next month amid fears that protesters could disrupt the Olympic flame's trip to the summit of Everest.

Their decision comes in the wake of demonstrations which have dogged the torch relay on its passage through London, Paris and San Francisco and ... read more

Rioters to go on trial, Tibet reopens to tourists as China seeks to close book on unrest

DANBA, China - China plans to put Lhasa rioters on trial and reopen Tibet to tourists by May, underscoring the government's drive to close the book on recent unrest well ahead of this summer's Beijing Olympics.

Other Tibetan regions could remain off-limits considerably longer, however, with police in western Sichuan province blocking ... read more

Tibet tourism industry hurts as foreigners blocked

BEIJING - Impoverished Tibet is suffering a huge loss to its lucrative and fast-growing tourism industry as the government blocks foreign visitors after last month's deadly riots, business people in the region said.

China, Tibet, the Olympics and tourism: Crisis or opportunity?

The recent disturbing events in Tibet and China’s heavy handed response to Tibetan protests reveal the current state of political leadership in China and the timidity of international response.

China: Dalai Lama caused riots to damage Olympics

CHENGDU, China (AP) — China accused the Dalai Lama on Sunday of orchestrating the recent anti-government riots in Tibet in a bid to mar the Beijing Olympics and overthrow the area's communist leaders.

eTN Mailbox: Tibet

I have not been recently to Tibet, but spent just over 3 weeks in eastern China, which used to belong to Tibet before the Chinese invasion, and in the TAR with a group last summer. I have attended 2 horse festivals, both of which were patronizingly orchestrated by the Chinese, making it in fact more of a Chinese affair by their speeches and ... read more

Authorities say Tibet tourism to suffer temporary hit following protests

BEIJING - Tibet's fast-growing tourist industry will suffer a temporary setback from last week's Lhasa riot as authorities struggle to rehabilitate damaged infrastructure, an official said Wednesday.

China imposed a ban on tour groups last week and has not said when they would again be permitted, according to travel agents.

'Chinese beaten mercilessly' - tourists. So, what really happened in Tibet?

Rampaging Tibetan youths stoned and beat Chinese people in the Tibetan capital and set ablaze stores but now calm has returned after a military clampdown, say tourists emerging from the Himalayan region.

"It was an explosion of anger against the Chinese and Muslims by the Tibetans,'' 19-year-old Canadian John Kenwood said, describing an ... read more