The Chinese authorities have closed the troubled Tibetan region to foreign tourists ahead of the third anniversary of violent antigovernment riots there. “The tourism bureau will not give permission to foreigners to come to Tibet in March,” said the Xizang Tourist General Company, in the region’s capital, Lhasa. “As far as April is concerned, we are still awaiting notification of any rule changes.”
Thai police silent over hotel deaths
Pressure is mounting on the Thai authorities to explain the mysterious deaths of four people staying at the same hotel in Chiang Mai. The Lincolnshire pensioners George and Eileen Everitt, a New Zealand backpacker and a Thai tourist guide all died while staying at the Downtown Inn, in the popular northern tourist resort. The deaths happened in the space of two weeks last month and authorities are under pressure from the families of the dead and from the tourist industry to explain what locals describe as a “strange coincidence”.
Chinese to buy stake in BAA?
The Chinese airport operator HNA is bidding for a 10% stake in BAA, the Spanish-controlled company that runs several UK airports, including Heathrow. The news comes as Ryanair’s chief executive, Michael O’Leary, confirmed he was in talks with a Chinese aircraft manufacturer, Comac, after falling out with the carrier’s current supplier, Boeing.
Confession of a tourist
Social networking is putting the randomness of holiday romances under threat. A new website, hangoutonholiday.co.uk, launched last week, listing about 40 destinations and a handful of suspiciously good-looking people apparently up for a holiday fling. (The site’s creator, Paul Stanyer, freely admits that they are models.) After free registration, you search for people going to your destination and presumably offer to buy them a piña colada. “It’s not just about sex,” Stanyer says. “My parents-in-law like cruising, and say it’s an excellent way to find other travellers.”