Indonesia announced last week that it will scrap visa on arrival fees for Australians in an attempt to boost the number of visitors to the country. While this may lead to a small increase in Australian tourists visiting Bali, what the government really needs to do to increase people-to-people exchange to make it easier for young people to work and study in Indonesia ultimately facilitating deeper economic, political and cultural relations.

Chinese President Xi Jinping's crackdown on government corruption, which began almost two years ago, has had a profound impact in China itself.  It is also hurting a specialized niche of the U.S. tourism industry. 

"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.