France is this year’s top soft power, according to a report published Tuesday. The Soft Power 30, published by PR firm Portland Communications, ranks countries on their exercise of soft power — the ability to influence others through attraction and likability rather than coercion.

Luke Dalla Bona, a former Sault resident currently living and working in Ecuador, has a plan to help a small South American community prosper by getting a completely natural product on the market. [...] After the earthquake took a painful bite out of Agua Blanca’s tourism revenue, the villagers, Dalla Bona said, decided to pursue bottling of natural shampoo, using the surrounding forest as a resource.

THE  Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC) has unveiled a new roadmap with medium and long-term objectives that will fast-track the growth of the industry. The strategic five-point action plan is to galvanize the nation’s tourism, improve service delivery and effectiveness in critical sectors of the industry.

Tourism is one of the main income sources of developing countries. For Kenya, one of Africa's leading tourism destinations, the industry is the country's second largest source of foreign exchange after agriculture. [...] Currently Kenya is serviced from the key long-haul source markets by five international full-service airlines that fly direct from their hub to Nairobi.

Jeju is the largest island off the south coast of the Korean Peninsula. Jeju Island has long been the country's favorite domestic holiday destination, thanks to its beautiful beaches, lush countryside and seaside hotels designed for rest and relaxation. [...] The island is also one of South Korea's best places for public diplomacy.

As the trend of decreasing visitors from mainland China will likely continue, the Taiwan government is taking steps to increase tourism from other areas, including Japan, Korea, and South and Southeast Asian markets.

To move beyond transactional ties, India and Israel must make an effort to encourage cultural connections. This is best done through education, tourism and the arts.

Indonesia is promoting the annual Bali Arts Festival (PKB) by digitalizing its month-long activities and broadcasting live on particular website as well as in various social media channels. The breakthrough move came at the request of Indonesian President Joko Widodo, who wanted to make people across the world know more about the festival, a senior official overseeing the Bali provincial tourism said.