Tibet Closed for Oct 1 (and other news)

Following on from yesterday’s announcement that Beijing Capital International Airport will be closed for several hours on the morning of October 1, news from local travel agents that Tibet will be closed to non-Chinese travelers from Thursday, September 24 to Thursday October 8.

At this stage tickets for Tibet between September 24 and October 8 which have already been sold will be honored, and foreign tourists already in the area will be allowed to continue their travels. However, tourists can expect increased security throughout the Autonomous Region. As of today, other parts of China are open as usual to tourists over the holiday period.

If you’re desperate for some Tibetan sights, you can always visit Xiahe in Gansu or Tongren in Qinghai, as detailed one of our earlier posts.

In other Oct 1 news closer to home, according to Reuters the final parade rehearsal for this Saturday, September 26, has been cancelled, “to avoid further affecting the public.”

And if our pics of yesterday’s practice fly-by of airforce jets and helicopters over downtown Beijing wasn’t enough, here’s a little video of the action shot by Poland’s Polsat News correspondent in China, Janek Zdzarski.