The Dalai Lama celebrates his 90th birthday with thousands of Tibetan Buddhists
Sitting before a packed audience that included hundreds of red-robed monks and nuns who braved incessant rain to see him, he said: 'When I look back on my life, I see that I have not wasted it at all.'
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Winnipeg Free Press
28 minutes ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
China extends visa-free entry to more than 70 countries to draw tourists
WASHINGTON (AP) — Foreign tourists are trickling back to China after the country loosened its visa policy to unprecedented levels. Citizens from 74 countries can now enter China for up to 30 days without a visa, a big jump from previous regulations. The government has been steadily expanding visa-free entry in a bid to boost tourism, the economy and its soft power. More than 20 million foreign visitors entered without a visa in 2024 — almost one-third of the total and more than double from the previous year, according to the National Immigration Administration. 'This really helps people to travel because it is such a hassle to apply for a visa and go through the process,' Georgi Shavadze, a Georgian living in Austria, said on a recent visit to the Temple of Heaven in Beijing. While most tourist sites are still packed with far more domestic tourists than foreigners, travel companies and tour guides are now bracing for a bigger influx in anticipation of summer holiday goers coming to China. 'I'm practically overwhelmed with tours and struggling to keep up' says Gao Jun, a veteran English-speaking tour guide with over 20 years of experience. To meet growing demand, he launched a new business to train anyone interested in becoming an English-speaking tour guide. 'I just can't handle them all on my own' he said. After lifting tough COVID-19 restrictions, China reopened its borders to tourists in early 2023, but only 13.8 million people visited in that year, less than half the 31.9 million in 2019, the last year before the pandemic. 30 days for many in Europe, Asia, Latin America and the Mideast In December 2023, China announced visa-free entry for citizens of France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Malaysia. Almost all of Europe has been added since then. Travelers from five Latin American countries and Uzbekistan became eligible last month, followed by four in the Middle East. The total will grow to 75 on July 16 with the addition of Azerbaijan. About two-thirds of the countries have been granted visa-free entry on a one-year trial basis. For Norwegian traveler Øystein Sporsheim, this means his family would no longer need to make two round-trip visits to the Chinese embassy in Oslo to apply for a tourist visa, a time-consuming and costly process with two children in tow. 'They don't very often open, so it was much harder' he said. 'The new visa policies are 100% beneficial to us,' said Jenny Zhao, a managing director of WildChina, which specializes in boutique and luxury routes for international travelers. She said business is up 50% compared with before the pandemic. While the U.S. remains their largest source market, accounting for around 30% of their current business, European travelers now make up 15–20% of their clients, a sharp increase from less than 5% before 2019, according to Zhao. 'We're quite optimistic' Zhao said, 'we hope these benefits will continue.' Group, a Shanghai-based online travel agency, said the visa-free policy has significantly boosted tourism. Air, hotel and other bookings on their website for travel to China doubled in the first three months of this year compared with the same period last year, with 75% of the visitors from visa-free regions. No major African country is eligible for visa-free entry, despite the continent's relatively close ties with China. North Americans and some others in transit can enter for 10 days Monday Mornings The latest local business news and a lookahead to the coming week. Those from 10 countries not in the visa-free scheme have another option: entering China for up to 10 days if they depart for a different country than the one they came from. The policy is limited to 60 ports of entry, according to the country's National Immigration Administration. The transit policy applies to 55 countries, but most are also on the 30-day visa-free entry list. It does offer a more restrictive option for citizens of the 10 countries that aren't: the Czech Republic, Lithuania, Sweden, Russia, the United Kingdom, Ukraine, Indonesia, Canada, the U.S. and Mexico. Sweden is the only high-income European country that didn't make the 30-day list. Ties with China have frayed since the ruling Chinese Communist Party sentenced a Swedish book seller, Gui Minhai, to prison for 10 years in 2020. Gui disappeared in 2015 from his seaside home in Thailand but turned up months later in police custody in mainland China. ___ Associated Press writer Ken Moritsugu and video producer Liu Zheng in Beijing contributed to this report.
Japan Forward
a day ago
- Japan Forward
Nankai's Mission: Making Manners Matter on the Rails
Enter Nankai Electric Railway. Wait, weren't there posters about train manners inside their cars? "We don't create many posters of our own," says Akinori Oda, assistant manager in the company's public relations department. But that doesn't mean Nankai is inactive. The company serves Kansai International Airport, one of Japan's busiest international gateways, with around 30 million passengers annually. In that role, they display posters created annually by the Japan Private Railway Association and the Kansai Railway Association, both of which it's a member of. What sets them apart is their manners awareness campaign aimed specifically at foreign travelers. For instance, the company issues alerts to passengers who try to use escalators while carrying large suitcases or bulky carry-on bags. "After the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of inbound travelers began gradually rising around August 2023," said Oda. "But with that came a surge in accidents, such as luggage falling on escalators. While we had been making announcements at Kansai Airport Station, we decided to create posters as well to raise awareness." All of Nankai's posters are written in Japanese, English, Korean, and Chinese. Since customs and manners vary by country, the messaging avoids imposing Japanese norms on foreign tourists. Instead, it takes a more considerate tone, saying things like, "Doing A is dangerous. Therefore, please B." A multilingual etiquette poster by Nankai Electric Railway, encouraging good manners on trains for foreign visitors in English, Korean, and Chinese. (©Nankai Railway) In addition, since March of this year, the Rapi:t Express train connecting Kansai International Airport and Osaka Namba has included flyers in seat pockets with photographs illustrating "where to place suitcases and carry-on bags" and "the correct way to sit in your seat." "Every year, many foreign tourists visit Japan," Oda explained. "As the railway that connects directly to Kansai International Airport, we believe it is Nankai Electric Railway's mission to communicate effectively with these visitors." Hear, hear! An illustrated booklet outlining proper train manners, available inside the Rapi:t Express train. (©Nankai Electric Railway) Since 2021, Nankai Electric Railway has collaborated with students from Osaka Animation College in Suita City, Osaka Prefecture, to produce educational animations. The titles include "Sachi's Promise" and "Nankai Electric Railway: Kai's Great Adventure!" Sachi's Promise follows the journey of Sachi Nakamatsu, a young woman who overcomes challenges to become a train driver for Nankai Electric Railway. Her surname, Nakamatsu, comes from a station on the Nankai Kada Line in Wakayama City, where she was born and raised. After graduating from a local high school, Sachi joins the railway company and fulfills her dream of driving trains on the Kada Line, a route she had been familiar with since childhood. Sachi's Promise follows the journey of Sachi Nakamatsu, a young female train driver overcoming the challenges of her profession. (©Nanakai Electric Railway) A scene from the manners awareness video Kai's Great Adventure! by Nankai Electric Railway, promoting proper train etiquette in a fun and engaging way. The first episode is titled Reckless Behaviors at Level Crossing. Meanwhile, the second episode is Railroad Crossing Emergency Button, and the third is Walking While Using a Smartphone. Each episode runs for approximately 30 seconds. Kai-kun is the younger brother of Sachi Nakamatsu. His approximately five-minute story teaches passengers about proper train etiquette. It's inspired by an incident that occurred during Kai's trip from his home in Wakayama to visit his grandfather in Namba, Osaka, via the Nankai Electric Railway. Professional voice actress Yuki Nakajima voices Yukiko Nakamatsu, while a student from Osaka Animation College voices Kai-kun. The story is available on the Nankai Electric Railway website. In January of last year, the company hosted a special visiting lecture called "Nankai Electric Railway School." The event was aimed at elementary school students living along the Nankai Electric Railway line. Nankai Electric Railway's outreach lecture at an elementary school, where train drivers are teaching students about proper railway etiquette. (©Nankai Electric Railway) In a rare move, the instructor for the event was not a station manager but a train driver. Furthermore, in March last year, the company organized a "manners training and exchange event" for foreign workers in Japan. Participants were taught proper railway etiquette and how to use ticket vending machines. Author: Ryuichi Tadokoro , The Sankei Shimbun (Read this in Japanese )
Toronto Star
a day ago
- Toronto Star
The Dalai Lama celebrates his 90th birthday with thousands of Tibetan Buddhists
DHARAMSHALA, India (AP) — The Dalai Lama turned 90 on Sunday surrounded by thousands of followers, who thronged the Himalayan town of Dharamshala, where the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism has been living in exile since fleeing Chinese rule in Tibet in 1959. Sitting before a packed audience that included hundreds of red-robed monks and nuns who braved incessant rain to see him, he said: 'When I look back on my life, I see that I have not wasted it at all.'
