Travel Agent - April 14, 2008 - (Page 84)

NEWS IMPACT ASIA Violent Protests Halt Travel to Tibet IN 2007, MORE THAN 365,000 FOREIGN TOURISTS VISITED TIBET, an increase of 136 percent from the previous year. Last year’s inauguration of a high-altitude train line from Beijing to Tibet was instrumental in raising Tibet’s tourism profile, and the nation’s evergreen appeal as the home of Mount Everest and Tibetan Buddhism certainly contributed to these impressive figures. But last month, tourism growth ground to a halt when Tibetans and Buddhist monks began a deadly clash in opposition to the Chinese government’s half-century rule of the mountainous region. A travel warning was issued by the U.S. Department of State asking Americans to defer travel to Tibet until at least April 21. The U.S. embassy in Beijing also issued a warning against travel to areas of western China with a Tibetan majority, including Yunnan, Sichuan, Qinghai and Xinjiang provinces. “Tourist visas for travel to Tibet are not being issued at this time,” says Sam Dong, inbound manager of Los Angeles-based China Travel Service. “We’re also advising travelers who do contact us to not travel to Tibet at this time.” engage the regime about troublesome policies” when the Olympics end. “I don’t think the protests will impact the Olympics,” says Hunter Wang, CEO of Panda Travel USA “Most of those Mark Rogers bookings have been made quite awhile ago, and it would take more than the current level of problems in China to deter Olympics-bound travelers.” Panda Travel USA has an October Tibet travel agent fam on its schedule. “We did get some inquiries from travel agents who have already signed up,” says Wang. “We reassured them that the disturbances in Tibet were timed to coincide with Beijing hosting the Summer Olympics and that things would be back to normal in a few months.” Much Ado About Nothing? The protests have had no effect on Panda Travel’s scheduled western China itineraries and programs, and Wang reports that the safety issue isn’t holding people back from booking travel. Wang points to the March 26 reopening of the Potala Palace in Lhasa, Tibet’s capital, as an indication that the unrest is a thing of the past. Even so, during the same period, tour and hotel operators in China were reporting that foreign visitors have left Tibet or have been barred from entering, while Chinese tanks and soldiers continue to patrol Lhasa. In anticipation of further protests, Nepalese officials have declared the summit of Mount Everest, which straddles the Nepali-Chinese border, to be off limits for mountain climbers during the first 10 days of May. There are plans to carry the Olympic torch up Nepal’s side of the mountain during this period. Katherine Wong, who heads up reservations for California-based tour operator GTS Globotours, is on the front line with travel agents, handling their requests. “We haven’t received any feedback from a moral or political perspective, and we haven’t experienced any problems with our China and Beijing bookings,” she says, adding that the company sees little demand for Tibet during the summer. “This is due to the hot weather. Most of our Tibet itineraries are scheduled during September and October.” —MARK ROGERS Olympic Showdown? In response to the protests, some countries, notably France, have been calling for a boycott of the opening ceremonies of the Summer Olympics, to be held in Beijing this August. The rush to get on the no-show bandwagon has been non-existent. In an interview in the Washington Times, Condoleeza Rice suggested a boycott of the 2008 Olympics would be ineffective, since it was a sporting rather than a political event and it would still be necessary for Washington to “continue to Tourism in Tibet had been on a significant upswing up until last month’s turmoil 84 | TravelAgent April 14, 2008

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Travel Agent - April 14, 2008

Travel Agent - April 14, 2008 Online Now Contents Contributors From the Editor From the Publisher Europe: The châteaux-hotels of the Dordogne and Quercy in France Middle East: Although Dubai is Expanding, it is not Bursting at the Seams Pacific/Asia: Pattaya is Southeast Asia’s Sunny Paradise Pacific/Asia Briefs Las Vegas: New York City Dining Comes to Sin City Hawaii: Accommodations in Hawaii for the Entire Family Central & South America: Cayo Espanto is the Private Island Resort for Clients to Get Away from it All Caribbean: Iberostar Property Opens in Rose Hall, Jamaica Running El Casino at the Sheraton Old San Juan Africa: Africa Travel Association’s 11th Annual Symposium Spotlight on the Djibouti Palace Kempinski Cruises: Experts Share Views on the Direction Cruise Pricing is Heading Cover Story: Home Counsel Car Rental: Vacation.com Joins with Hertz to Grow Car-Rental Sales Transportation Briefs Northeast USA: Brooklyn’s Hotel Le Bleu Agent Profile: Gary Mansour of Mansour Travel Agenda: Fam Trips, Deals & Incentives, Calendar Violent Protests Halt Travel to Tibet Celebrating Company and Agency Innovations Sheraton Upgrades Brand through Renovations and Redesign Earning Opportunities and Agent Recognition In the Spotlight Editorial Index Advertising Index Classified Marketplace Trendwatch

Travel Agent - April 14, 2008

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.