Tibet tours back as Beijing Olympics approach

Adrian Bridge and Jeremy Skidmore Lifting of ban on foreign visitors to Tibet has attracted a mixed response. Adrian Bridge and Jeremy Skidmore report. Tibet was closed to visitors following violent protests in Lhasa in March British operators are to resume tours to Tibet following the lifting of a ban on foreign visitors by the Chinese authorities. The dramatic mountainous territory — known officially as the Tibet Autonomous Region – was closed to visitors following violent protests in Lhasa in March and unrest in the ethnic Tibetan areas of the neighbouring provinces of Gansu, Sichuan and Qinghai. The ban was lifted on June 25, shortly after the completion of the Tibet stage of the controversial Olympic torch relay and six weeks before the opening of the Olympic Games in Beijing on August 8. Matt Whitticase, a spokesman for... [read full story]