Day: January 9, 2023

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CGTN: Revival in China’s domestic and outbound tourism expected after COVID policy shift

BEIJING, Jan. 8, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — China removed certain COVID-19 restrictions on international passenger flights on Sunday, with domestic and international tourism expected to pick up steam as the Spring Festival holiday approaches.

Measures will be taken to ensure that freight at various ports will return to pre-epidemic levels as soon as possible and that outbound tourism for Chinese citizens will be resumed in an orderly manner, according to the Civil Aviation Administration of China.

The optimized policies and measures include the resumption of accepting and approving Chinese citizens’ applications for ordinary passports for tourism purposes and visiting friends abroad.

China also optimized its regulations on travel between the mainland and Hong Kong and Macao, according to a statement of the State Council Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office. International travelers will be able to enter the mainland via Hong Kong and Macao, and restrictions on the passenger load factor for flights between the mainland and Hong Kong and Macao will be lifted, according to the document.

According to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism on Monday, China saw about 52.7 million domestic tourist visits during the previous three-day New Year holiday, up 0.44 percent year on year.

The tourism revenue generated over the holiday exceeded 26.5 billion yuan (about $3.8 billion), up 4 percent from the same period last year, according to the ministry.

“The national culture and tourism market is generally safe, smooth and orderly,” the Ministry of Culture and Tourism said.

Short-distance tours are trendy among travelers during the holiday period, with sustained popularity for ice and snow activities and camping among young people, according to the ministry. The data also shows a steady recovery in the country’s medium- and long-distance travel, with some online travel agencies reporting a significant increase in ticket bookings for cross-provincial and cross-border tourism over the holiday.

Given the significant number of potential Chinese tourists, the recovery of China’s outbound travel is expected to play a vital role in the rebound of both domestic and global tourism markets.

Within half an hour of the reopening policy announcement, searches for overseas destinations shot up by 1,000 percent, hitting a three-year high, according to Chinese online travel agency Ctrip.

Other Asian countries are among the first ones to benefit from this wave of outbound travel. Data from Trip.com Group showed that the number of orders for outbound flight tickets sold soared 254 percent on the morning of December 27, compared with the same time a day earlier. Singapore, the Republic of Korea, Japan and Thailand were among Chinese tourists’ most popular destinations.

As China’s policy of optimizing regulations on travel continues to generate strong interest globally, tourism authorities in several countries, including Thailand, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Denmark, have posted on Weibo since December 27, inviting Chinese tourists to visit.

https://news.cgtn.com/news/2023-01-08/Revival-in-China-s-tourism-industry-expected-after-COVID-policy-shift-1gpXuxx1Cak/index.html

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Somali, Egyptian FMs meet in Cairo

Mogadishu Foreign Minister of the Federal Republic of Somalia, Abshir Omar Jama and his Egyptian counterpart, Sameh Shoukry on Monday held talks in Cairo and discussed Egypt’s support to Somalia in areas of mitigating terrorism and drought.

Egypt’s Foreing Minister said that his Government affirmed its full support for Somalia in efforts to combat terrorism and confront the effects of the drought and its desire to enhance cooperation between the two countries in light of the historical relations that unite them.

Source: Somali National News Agency

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61 Al-Shabaab militants killed in a joint operation

Mogadishu 61 Al-Shabaab militants were killed and others injured in a joint operation conducted by Somalia’s Intelligence and Security Agency and International Pranters at Hawadley area in Middle Shabelle region, SONNA reported Monday

In a statement obtained by Somali National News Agency, said that the especial operation targetted an estimate of 150 Al-Shabaab terrorist militants inteding to attack Somali National Army and Local forces with car bombings.

The terrorists were preparing two vehicles namely Homey and Noah at a farm in the region and wanted to enter into Mogadishu city, but the joint forces thwarted their attempts and destroyed on spot according to the statement.

Somali Government and People are very vigilent Al-Shabaab’s hostile acts from the terrorists and the group militants were defeated in the on-going miltary operations jointly carried out by Somali National Army, and local forces.

Source: Somali National News Agency

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U.S Donates $9 million in Weapons and Equipment to Support the Somali National Army

The United States presented $9 million in weapons, vehicles, medical supplies, and other equipment to the Somali National Army (SNA) in a ceremony on Sunday, January 8 attended by Minister of Defense Abdulkadir Mohamed Nur Jama and U.S. Ambassador Larry André. Aside from heavy weapons, equipment includedsupport and construction vehicles, explosive ordinance disposal kits, medical supplies, and maintenance equipment for vehicles and weapons. Most of the supplies are already on their way to Hishabelle and Galmudug States to support SNA troops.

“We cheer the success achieved by Somali security forces in their historic fight to liberate Somali communities suffering under al-Shabaab,” said Ambassador André. “This is a Somali-led and Somali-fought campaign. The United States reaffirms our commitment to support your effort.”

Minister of Defense Abdulkadir Mohamed Nur Jama thanked the United States, saying, “Allow me to conveythe appreciation of the Federal Government of Somalia to the Government of the United States of America for the continued support to Somalia’s peacebuilding process and the support for the fight against terrorism.This support comes at a critical time for our forces as we boost their capabilities to combat al-Shabaab.”

The Minister was joined by Chief of Defense Forces Brigadier General Odowaa Yusuf Rageh for the ceremony.

The weapons, including light and heavy machine guns, were purchased with U.S. Department of Defense funding. They are marked and registered pursuant to the Federal Government of Somalia’s Weapons and Ammunition Management policy, designed to account for and control weapons within the Somali security forces and weapons captured on the battlefield. Notification to the UN Security Council is conducted by the Federal Government of Somalia in close coordination with the Office of Security Cooperation of U.S. Embassy Mogadishu in accordance with UN Security Council resolutions.

The weapons will support SNA-Danabbattalions, including battalions currently participating in operations in Hirshabelle and Galmudug. The weapons will provide a significant increase in the lethality and mobility of the SNA-Danab units participating in these operations.

Source: Somali National News Agency