Tourists

Officials in Beihai locked down urban areas and ordered the mass testing of its 1.9m residents over the weekend.

It comes as concerns grow about the impact of China's "zero-Covid" policy on the world's second largest economy.

Last week, official figures showed the country's economy shrank in the second quarter of this year as Covid-19 restrictions hit firms and consumers.

Beihai, which is a popular summer destination in China's southern Guangxi region, recorded more than 450 infections in the five days to 16 July.

Vanuatu has been closed to travellers since the coronavirus pandemic hit in 2020.

Only repatriation flights were allowed during the closure.

Minister of Tourism, James Bule stated early this week that reopening the international border will provide a stimulus for economic recovery.

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Vanuatu Tourism Office, Adela Aru, said after more than two years isolated from the rest of the world, today is a joyful day and her team and the local tourism industry are more than ready to start welcoming international visitors.

Australia, which shut its borders in March of 2020, has been going through a staggered reopening in recent months, allowing in only its citizens and residents, skilled migrants, international students and certain seasonal workers.

In January, Morrison said he hoped international borders could fully reopen before Easter.

His popularity has been sliding in recent months, however, in part reflecting questions about his handling of the Omicron outbreak, and he faces pressure from a federal election that must be called by May.

The Cook Islands has announced it will re-open its borders from the second week of January, but Niue Tourism Board chairperson Vanessa Marsh said they would not following suit.

She said Niue doesn't have a set date for re-opening its borders, but the country was looking toward late in the first half of 2022.

Marsh said Niue was taking a cautious approach.

Medics with fang stickers on their scrubs are offering Pfizer shots to everyone who visits the 14th-century Bran Castle in central Romania.

It is part of a government drive to encourage more Romanians to get jabbed.

Some believe the castle inspired the vampire's lair in Bram Stoker's iconic novel Dracula.

Romania has recorded just over a million infections since the pandemic began, and nearly 29,000 deaths.

For three months Spain has been under one of Europe's toughest lockdowns to stop the spread of coronavirus.

Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez warned that hygiene controls must be observed strictly, despite the easing.

Spain's Covid-19 death toll stands at 28,322 - the third-highest in the EU.

The state of emergency was decreed on 14 March, and for several weeks people could not go out to exercise and children were not allowed to leave their homes for any reason.

The French High Commission in French Polynesia said since last Friday a total of 2600 tourists had been able to fly out of Tahiti.

This Friday, a last flight bound for France is scheduled to take off before regular services are suspended until at least late April.

The High Commission said since the start of the crisis an air bridge set up with the domestic carrier Air Tahiti had allowed 2,500 holiday makers to fly from the outer islands back to Tahiti.

The couple presented with an illness while holidaying in the Western Division.

They were provided with medical treatment but their illnesses progressively worsened and despite best efforts, they died within a few days of each other.

At this stage the Ministry is conducting investigations into the possible causes and has also put in place necessary public health measures.

A US media report said the couple's family believe they might have contracted a virus.

The couple, who have a young son, were understood to be in the middle of round the world trip.

Giant touchscreen What To Do information kiosks have been rolled in resorts and hotels around Port Vila by Vanuatu Media Marketing Limited. VMM Ltd is the parent company of Trading Post Ltd, which owns this newspaper.

The touchscreens contain a variety of tourist information resources, including shopping, dining, tours and activities, essential tourist information and much more. And it’s all provided in an engaging, interactive multi-touch display that integrates multimedia, maps, online booking and more.

At least one of the tourists is reported to have been injured after stones were thrown.

The Daily Post reports a fire started in the early hours of Tuesday morning when vehicles were set alight by what appeared to be petrol bombs.

The New Zealander who owns the resort, Hugh Lowe, told the paper staff fought the fire until 5.30am and managed to save some of the buildings.

The first six houses were burnt last month and were reported to be in retaliation for the alleged murder of a young Tannese boy.