Travel

Spring Golden Eagle Festival opens in Mongolia

ULAN BATOR, March 3 (Xinhua) -- Mongolia's annual spring eagle festival kicked off near the capital city of Ulan Bator on Sunday, which is part of the country's efforts to attract tourists.

The event called "Spring Golden Eagle Festival" was co-organized by the Mongolian Ministry of Environment and Tourism, the Mongolian Eagle Hunter's Association and others with the aim of boosting tourism by promoting the tradition of hunting with eagles.

China closes Tibet to foreigners for sensitive anniversaries

Beijing, Feb 20 (AP) China is barring foreign travellers from Tibet over a period of several weeks that includes a pair of sensitive political anniversaries questioning the legitimacy of Beijing's rule over the Himalayan region.

Travel agencies contacted Wednesday said foreign tourists would not be allowed back into Tibet until April 1. It's not clear when the ban started, although some monitoring groups said it began this month.

India, Maldives to implement liberalised visa regime

New Delhi, Feb 12 (PTI) India and Maldives on Tuesday exchanged diplomatic notes for the implementation of a visa facilitation agreement to boost people to people contacts between the two countries.

The agreement was signed during Maldivian President Ibrahim Solih's visit to India in December within a month after taking charge of the high office. The visit was seen as an effort by his government to repair ties with India which came under severe strain during the presidentship of Abdulla Yameen, who was known to be close to China.

Spring Festival travel rush begins in China

BEIJING, Jan. 21 (Xinhua) -- China's Spring Festival travel rush started Monday, unleashing the country's largest seasonal migration of people as families reunite for China's most important traditional holiday.

The travel rush began 15 days ahead of the Spring Festival, or Chinese Lunar New Year, which falls on Feb. 5 this year.

In the following 40 days, from Jan. 21 to March 1, nearly 3 billion trips are to be made via China's transport system, as people rush for family gatherings or travel around the country.

Danish Prime Minister, wife visit Taj Mahal

Agra January 20 (PTI) Prime Minister of Denmark Lars L kke Rasmussen visited the Taj Mahal with his wife and 20 visiting dignitaries on Sunday.

The delegation spent more than an hour at the Taj Mahal and around 40 minutes at the Agra Fort, showing great interest in the architecture and history of the monuments.

The dignitaries reached the Taj Mahal early and had to wait for some time for the fog to clear up. Both monuments remained closed for tourists for around three hours.

China offers 144-hr visa-free transit in 5 more cities

JINAN, Jan. 1 (Xinhua) -- China began to implement its 144-hour visa-free transit policy in five more cities on Tuesday for travelers from 53 countries.

These cities are Qingdao, a major port city in Shandong Province; Xiamen, a coastal city in Fujian Province; Wuhan, capital of Hubei Province; Chengdu, capital of Sichuan Province; and Kunming, capital of Yunnan Province.

Indian island police struggle to get body of American

NEW DELHI (AP) — Indian authorities were struggling Thursday to figure out how to recover the body of an American killed after wading ashore on an isolated island cut off from the modern world.

John Allen Chau was killed last week by North Sentinel islanders who apparently shot him with arrows and then buried his body on the beach, police say.

But even officials don’t travel to North Sentinel, where people live as their ancestors did thousands of years ago, and where outsiders are seen with suspicion and attacked.

Sri Lanka ranked No.1 travel destination in 2019 by Lonely Planet

COLOMBO, Oct. 23 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lanka has claimed the top spot in the world's leading travel guide, the Lonely Planet as the best travel destination in 2019, local media reported Tuesday.

Sri Lanka topped the list of best countries to visit primarily because travel has become much easier in the island country since the civil war ended in 2009, the Lonely Planet said.

Sri Lanka ranked first followed by Germany and Zimbabwe.

Belarus-China visa-free agreement comes into force

MINSK, Aug. 10 (Xinhua) -- The intergovernmental agreement on visa-free travel between Belarus and China came into force on Friday.

From now on, Belarusians can stay in China without a visa for up to 30 days in one trip, but not more than 90 days a year. The same rule applies to Chinese citizens.

If a person wants to stay in the country for more than 30 days or engage in educational and professional activities, he or she needs a special visa. Visa-free travel covers private trips, business trips and tourist trips.

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