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Telegraph.co.uk China 'closes Tibet to foreign visitors' Authorities in China have closed Tibet to foreign tourists, according to a number of travel agents, following months of protests and unrest. The ban comes ahead of the peak season for travel to the troubled region – the month-long Saga Dawa festival began on Monday – and could affect hundreds of British travellers due to visit. If verified, the move is likely to be seen as a response to a protest by two Tibetans last month, who set fire to themselves outside Jokhang temple in Lhasa, a Buddhist shrine that receives thousands of visitors each day. Although 37 people have carried out similar protests since March last year, it was the first recorded self-immolation attempt in Lhasa, a popular destination for foreign tourists. Several Beijing-based tour operators have since claimed that the Chinese tourism bureau has asked them to stop taking foreign visitors to Tibet. "The tourism bureau asked us to stop organising foreign groups to Tibet in late May. We don't know when they will lift the ban," an employee at the Tibet China International Tour Service told AFP. Nobody from the Chinese Embassy in London or the Chinese Tourist Board was able to confirm the reports when contacted by Telegraph Travel. China has banned foreign tourists from visiting Tibet before, usually during periods of unrest and during religious festivals. Overseas tourists were prevented from travelling to the region in 2008, following violent protests in Lhasa, before the ban was lifted ahead of the Beijing Olympics. Even when foreigners are permitted into Tibet, tours are closely monitored, travellers must apply for a special visa and they will be accompanied by a government-appointed guide. All foreign tour operators must make their arrangements through Chinese firms. Fionnuala McHugh, who visited Tibet for Telegraph Travel last year, said the recent protests could have encouraged China to act. “They do this quite often, but not usually during the peak travel period,” she said. “The vast majority of visitors to Tibet are from China, but the government closely regulates overseas tourism to Tibet, and want to control what people see. “Tourists will inevitably be carrying cameras and phones, and [China) really doesn't want them – and the world – to see people setting fire to themselves."
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