Sport and cultural exchanges between countries and individuals “who are not on the best of terms” could help ease tensions, Spavor said in an interview. “At the very least, the involved individuals … can break down or dismiss preconceived negative ideas about each other.”

Guangzhou Juyi Exhibition Company and Asian Heritage Museum Group have signed a joint-venture agreement on strategic cooperation in exhibition and trade in Malaysia for cultural relics or artefacts from China.

The United States has always believed that our best ambassadors are the American people themselves [...] It’s people-to-people diplomacy; nothing may epitomize its modern manifestation more than the way Airbnb has succeeded in connecting tourists with hosts on the island.

In a vast parking lot outside Cambodia’s famed Angkor Wat temples complex stands a new museum built by North Korea, part of a lucrative charm offensive by a hermit state exporting its monumental art to a handful of foreign allies. [...] “North Korea has discovered soft power, it has discovered cultural diplomacy ... they are trying to broaden the image of what North Korea is about..."

What do you think of when someone says, “Ireland”? Shamrocks, Guinness, Irish whiskey, castle ruins, and a rousing drinking song. Maybe you think of rain, craggy cliffs and crashing waves, and Riverdance. And, of course, there are the requisite leprechauns and pots o’ gold. One thing is for sure: everyone has a firm mental image of Ireland.

Ho Chi Minh City and the Gyeongsangbuk-do province of the Republic of Korea (RoK) will co-host the World Cultural Expo in November 2017, a biennial exchange to introduce cultures of participating countries [...] Visitors will be able to enjoy food, music performances, fashion shows, movies, and literature pieces as well as join trade and investment activities.

In an age far less connected than today, the Expo was an opportunity for countries to showcase their very best, influencing the development of commerce, art and architecture, education, technology and tourism. Inventions such as the telephone, aluminium and steel were first presented at such exhibitions.

New planes, new in-flight entertainment options, smart new uniforms for the cabin attendants, even business class. It’s all part of supreme leader Kim Jong Un’s effort to boost tourist numbers 20-fold to 2 million by 2020 and supplement the nation’s meager foreign exchange.