On Sunday the NY Times ran an interesting article entitled, Suddenly, the Roof of the World is Closed. It presents an interesting look at Tibet and its tourism. After violent protests began in March, Tibet’s booming tourism ceased to exist. China’s government barred tourists by discontinuing their issuance of entry permits to Tibet. And, they closed two main routes to Mount Everest – in hopes of protecting the Olympic torch’s eventual trip to the mountain’s summit.

As the article points out, prior to the protests Tibet had a growing tourism industry. “Visits to Tibet surged in recent years as access to the region, high in the Himalayas, got easier, interest in Tibetan Buddhism grew and rising Chinese incomes spurred domestic travel. In 2006, China opened the Qinghai-Tibet railway (the so-called train to the Roof of the World) linking Beijing to Lhasa. And roads into Tibet, while still rugged, have been paved. Tibetan-themed boutique hotels have even opened…”

Suddenly, The Roof of the World is Closed

“TIBET’S fast-growing tourism industry has come to a screeching halt in the wake of violent protests that began with a March 14 riot in Lhasa, the capital of Tibet, and resulted in a major crackdown by Chinese security forces.”

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In-Flight WiFi Getting Closer

“American Airlines is one step closer to offering in-flight broadband access to it’s passengers. Aircell, the airline’s in-flight internet provider, just received approval from the FAA to begin producing and employing it’s broadband connectivity gear on any aircraft cleared to use it.”

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Skybus goes Bankrupt!

“Skybus just announced that they’re ceasing all operations and have declared bankruptcy. According to their website, they’ll continue to close out flights today, but after that all bets are off. Being as it’s 11:30 at the time of writing, I think that it’s safe to say nobody else will be flying Skybus.”

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Airport Check-in: Houston to make Terminal B bigger

“Houston airport officials said they will announce Monday that the city and Continental Airlines will spend $1.2 billion in the next seven to 10 years to nearly quintuple the size of Terminal B. Terminal B, which mostly handles Continental’s domestic flights, will grow to 1.7 million square feet from the current 360,000. Continental, the airport’s largest tenant, is partly funding the project and will occupy most of the enlarged space for domestic and international flights.”

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Study: Airline complaints rise

“Late flights and lost bags, to say nothing of higher fares, are making air travelers grumpy, an annual survey of airline quality says. The industry posted declines last year in every area of the Airline Quality Rating, amid rising fuel prices, safety problems and bankruptcy filings that shut down three carriers last week alone.”

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