China’s program offering transit passengers 72-hour visa-free visits now includes eight cities: Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Chongqing, Shenyang and Dalian. Travel is limited; no trips outside the city are permitted.
A visitor with a confirmed ongoing plane ticket to a third country can apply for the visa-free visit at the entry/exit department in the international airport in any of the seven cities.
Contrary to what some headlines blared, almost all of the historic village of Laerdalsoyri, Norway — which has several well-preserved wooden houses from the 18th century — escaped the reaches of a large fire in the adjacent modern town of Laerdal on Jan. 18. Six or seven buildings of historic value were among the 35 that burned. A hundred people were hospitalized for smoke inhalation.
The Borgund Stave Church and other tourist sites in the area were not affected by the fire.
In southern China’s “Shangri-La” tourism area, the ancient Tibetan town of Dukezong — more than 1,300 years old and one of the world’s largest and best-preserved Tibetan towns — burned down in 10 hours on Jan. 11.
Sparked by a heater in a guest house, the blaze engulfed 343 wooden houses and many historic artifacts. While high winds spread the flames, residents resorted to bucket brigades after hydrants failed and firefighters were unable to get fire engines through the narrow streets. 2,000 people fought the fire.
In a 4-year remembrance project mirroring notable dates of World War I, which lasted from July 28, 1914, until Nov. 11, 1918, events timed to the 100-year anniversaries of various events are being planned in the Flanders region of northern Belgium. For a list of events, contact Tourism Flanders-Brussels (1a Cavendish Sq., London W1G 0LD, U.K.; phone 020 7307 7738).
“Hand Made in Hong Kong,” a day tour exploring traditional manufacturing, is available through HS Travel (phone +852 3759 7022).
By tram, ferry and on foot, participants will visit the workshops of Hong Kong’s master craftspeople, from shoemakers to sign makers and tailors, then go on a trip to the Ladies Market in Mong Kok.
Breakfast and lunch are included in the 8-hour tour, which costs HK850 (near $110) and departs Tues., Wed. and Thurs. at 9:15 a.m.
In Leipzig, Germany, the Mendelssohn House (Goldschmidtstraße 12, Leipzig) will reopen Feb. 3, 2014, with a new floor of exhibits.
Devoted to the composer Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847), the museum, located in his last apartment, now includes interactive exhibits and a library with audio and video material. Admission, €4.50 ($6). Open daily 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Concerts held Sundays at 11 a.m.
The Kyoto National Museum (527 Chaya-cho, Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto, Japan 605-0931; phone 075 541 1151) will partially reopen April 21, 2014, with a special exhibition of early Buddhist art. The entire museum was closed December 2008 to make way for a new main building to hold its permanent collection of 12,000 pieces of art and archaeological objects. The main Collections Hall, designed by Yoshio Taniguchi, will open Sept. 13.
In London’s West End, 20 to 30 Roma people have been aggressively begging in the Oxford Street, Marble Arch and Park Lane areas. They set up camp in the park, occupying benches in the area during the day.
Merchants have complained about harassment of their customers and thefts from stores. Some people have been intimidated by the Roma into withdrawing cash from ATMs. Police forcibly removed a similar group in July 2013, transporting some home to Romania, but Roma have returned.
American Airlines and US Airways finalized their merger deal on Dec. 9, becoming the world’s biggest airline. Under the name American Airlines, it will offer 6,700 flights daily to 330 destinations in 50-plus countries.
US Airways’ shuttles may operate under the old name for up to two years, as it will take many months to merge the airlines’ booking and code-sharing systems and sort out routes and terminals. However, the frequent-flyer programs were expected to be merged in January, with members retaining flyer miles from both airlines.
Adding to sites in over 100 airports, the Transportation Security Administration announced in December that it will be opening more than 300 centers across the country at which US citizens can enroll in the TSA Preê (Pre-check) system, which allows for expedited security screening at airports for approved travelers.
By submitting an application and a fee of $85 (good for five years), a traveler may be certified for the program after providing background interviews, fingerprints and other biographical information.