Olympic Torch Hits London But Tibet Remains Closed

The Olympic torch landed in Britain last night, and today is due to be passed between 80 runners on an eight-hour journey from Wembley Stadium to Greenwich. The Chinese authorities hope it will act as a beacon to draw visitors to China, but at the same time, are continuing to ban tourists from Tibet.

When rioting erupted in Lhasa and around Tibet on 14 March, all permits for tourists to visit Tibet were immediately suspended, and since then British tour operators have had to cancel all departures. Around 130 people have so far been killed in the unrest, according to the Tibetan government-in-exile.

Last week Tibet's Bureau of Tourism announced that foreign visitors would not be allowed into Tibet until 1 May.

'Obviously it's good news that the ban will be lifted, but we are still very nervous that if there are any more disturbances in the coming months - which you have to say is highly likely - the authorities will slap the ban straight back,' said one British operator, who didn't want to be named for fear the Chinese government would hinder permit applications in future. 'We've had to tell our clients it's just a case of fingers crossed.'

The timing looks far from promising. May is when the torch is due to be taken through Tibet and to the summit of Everest, an event likely to act as a flash point for a more widespread uprising. 'The peak seasons for visitors are spring and autumn and even if the ban is lifted in May, we've missed the boat for all our spring departures,' said Kit Wilkinson of KE Adventure Travel. 'This has to be putting tourists off.'

The Chinese authorities are keenly aware of Tibet's appeal to Western tourists, and had set a target of 5.5 million foreign and domestic visitors this year, more than double the total in 2006.

The Dalai Lama has not called for tourists to boycott the country, instead asking visitors to travel 'ethically' by making sure their money gets through to Tibetans (a guide for visitors is at freetibet.org).

Several groups are planning protests during today's torch procession, which is part of an 85,000-mile journey around the world, taking in 135 cities. Organizers have named the torch relay the 'Journey of Harmony', but campaigners have dubbed it the 'flame of shame'. Celebrity torch carriers today are due to include Sir Steve Redgrave, Dame Kelly Holmes and Sir Trevor McDonald.