"The air link completes the cultural bridge, consolidated by HM the King's recent visit to Russia," Shaikha Mai said. “Gulf Air’s direct flights to Moscow will enhance tourism, cultural and civilisational exchange between the two friendly countries.”

Lao Deputy Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism Savankhone Razmountry, for his part, said the establishment of Chinese culture center is of great significance which will promote the friendly exchanges between the two nations.

The embassy of Israel in Tokyo has launched an animated, online series in its latest effort to boost tourism from Japan.  The seven-part show will broadcast on the embassy's official YouTube page.

These are tough times for Russia’s tourism industry with the numbers of visitors – especially from the West – nosediving in recent months.  That has sent hotels scrambling to attract guests from other parts of the globe – including Muslim nations in the Mideast and Asia that have placed no sanctions on Moscow over its intervention in Ukraine.

In Kinmen's farming villages, old cottages have been restored and turned into bed-and-breakfasts for visitors to experience traditional architecture and the rhythms of rural life. Crowds are sparse in the off-season, but tourism is the best hope to supplement agricultural incomes now that the soldiers are gone.

Mexican Ambassador to Tehran Ulises Canchola Gutierrez underlined that Iran's eye-catching historical monuments, natural attractions and proper tourism infrastructures have persuaded him to call on his country's relevant officials to pave the ground for the further promotion of tourism ties with Iran.

Beijing received more than 540,000 tourists in 26 major scenic areas on Wednesday, also the 65th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, up 33 percent year on year, local authorities announced on Thursday.

In harnessing the benefits of global tourism, the international community will take “critical” steps forward in advancing the United Nations’ sustainable development goals and post-2015 development agenda, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today.