4 dead after bus carrying Chinese tourists crashes in Utah

LOS ANGELES, United States - At least four people were killed and up to 15 others critically injured when a bus transporting Chinese tourists crashed on Friday near Bryce Canyon National Park in the western US state of Utah, local authorities said.

The Utah Highway Patrol said the crash took place in the morning about 11 kilometers from the park entrance, forcing the road to be shut as ambulances and rescue vehicles rushed to the site.

It said a total of 30 people, including the driver, were on board the bus as it headed to the famous park.

"Four have been killed 12-15 with critical injuries and 10 more with minor to serious injuries," the Highway Patrol said in a tweet.

It posted pictures of the mangled bus, with its roof partly caved in, lying on the side of the main highway leading to the park entrance.

"The bus was traveling east bound when it ran off the road and rolled into the guardrail," the Garfield County Sheriff's Office said in a Facebook message that described the crash as "horrible."

It said the injured were transported to various hospitals, some by helicopter.

China's embassy in Washington said on Twitter that it had initiated its emergency protocols and sent personnel to assist the victims.

Utah Governor Gary Hart expressed sadness over the tragedy.

"My heart sank when I heard the news that a tour bus crashed near Bryce Canyon," he said in a tweet. "I grieve with all who lost loved ones in this crash and I'm grateful for the quick work of first responders, as well as all those who are volunteering to act as translators."

Bryce Canyon is one of the most visited national parks in the US, attracting some 1.5 million tourists every year.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Chinese shoppers to Japan set to surge for lunar holiday

TOKYO — Japan is expecting a surge in Chinese visitors during the lunar New Year holiday period, with tourists eager to snap up electronics and other goods in a welcome boost for retailers.

A record 9.44 million foreigners visited Japan last year, with inbound Chinese tourists rising over 34 percent to about 1.6 million, surpassing Taiwan to become no. 2 after South Korea, the nation with the most visitors to Japan.

Even before the start of the holiday on Feb. 3, Chinese shoppers were piling off buses in Tokyo's Akihabara electronics shopping mecca, which some 40 percent of inbound Chinese are believed to visit.

"The number of Chinese customers in our store has increased a lot compared to last month because of the Chinese New Year holiday," said Chen Rui, a sales clerk at the Laox electronics shopping centre, who is originally from the Chinese city of Xian. "Most of them buy electronics such as watches, rice cookers, cameras and camcorders."

To deal with the influx of Chinese shoppers, who surged after visa restrictions were eased last year, the shopping centre has Mandarin-speaking staff, uses signs written in Chinese, and accepts mainland credit card without additional processing fees.

Many customers said they were attracted by the high reputation of Japanese goods as well as a sense that better quality products might be found within Japan itself.

"Japanese products have good quality, and we don't have to worry about buying imitations because they are all genuine," said 50-year-old Li Tienan, who works for a Shanghai-based electronics company.

Chinese tourists spend an average of $1,300 per person, according to estimates by Japan's tourism agency, and are not put off even by the strength of the yen, which last year hit a record high against the yuan.

"I don't care. I would definitely buy some 'Made in Japan' goods since I'm in Japan now," said Liu Hailing, a 39-year-old visitor from Qingdao.

Though the number of Chinese visitors to Japan fell off in the last quarter of 2010 as a long-term territorial dispute between the two nations flared up, Japan's foreign ministry expects that inbound Chinese visitors will eventually reach 10 million a year.

To make visiting still easier, Japan also plans to offer multiple-entry visas for frequent Chinese visitors from this summer. — Reuters

Article source: gmanews.tv