Talking Travel: Advantages of RMB, Longer Hours for Line 7, and On-Arrival Visas to Sri Lanka

Talking Travel: Advantages of a Devalued RMB, Longer Hours for Line 7, and On-Arrival Visas to Sri Lanka

Joey Knotts, Contributing Editor | Aug 7, 2019 8:30 am | Add a comment | 573 reads

Talking Travel: your roundup of Beijing's latest transportation-related news.

Where to travel cheap with RMB

The US-China trade war has hit a new low following President Donald Trump's announcement last week for increased trade tariffs on Chinese goods. In turn, the Chinese government has devalued its currency, incurring the label of "currency manipulator" from the US in the process. As a result, the Chinese yuan exchange rate has broken RMB 7 against the US dollar, and holders of Chinese currency are already beginning to find the best deals for world travel as global exchange rates respond.

What that means for you, is that now might be the time to take that trip to Turkey you've been dreaming of.

On account of the ongoing US-China spat, most of the world's currencies have also taken a dive. The steepest tumbles in exchange rates include the Hungarian forint (-5.99 percent), the British pound (-6.26 percent), the Australian Dollar (-6.87 percent), the Norwegian krone (-7.56 percent), the Swedish krona (-8.36 percent), and the Turkish lira (-11.86 percent).

However, not all currencies are now cheaper when buying with RMB, and you will especially want to avoid Thailand (Thai baht, +10.05 percent) and Japan (Japanese yen, +5.84 percent) if you’re looking to save travel money.

Line 7 gets extended weekend hours

Last Friday, Line 7 began extending its operating hours by an hour and a half into the night on Fridays and Sundays. Trains leaving from Beijing West Railway Station will dispatch until 12.15am, while trains leaving from Jiaohuachang Station will dispatch until 11.35pm, with trains leaving about every 10 minutes at night. The change comes just a few weeks after Lines 1 and 2 extended their Friday and Saturday hours by one hour. The later operating hours are in response to increased late-night traffic flowing in from Beijing West Railway Station trying to make it east into the city.

Beijing South Railway Station offers free night shuttle bus

Additionally, Beijing South Railway Station has begun to offer late-night travelers access to two free shuttle bus lines that will run daily from 10pm until 12.30am. Both lines are cyclical, one running north of the station and the other running south. The "North Line" leaves from the underground North Square exit and takes passengers as far as the Hepingmen, while the "South Line" leaves from the South Square, carrying passengers as far as South Third Ring Road. For detailed information on the stops, click here (in Chinese).

Sri Lanka announces visas on arrival

Sri Lanka's tourism board has announced that visitors from over 50 countries will now be eligible for a 30-day tourism or business visa either on arrival or applied for online before visiting the South Asian island. However, travelers may want to take advantage of this new policy soon, as it's due to be reviewed in six months and may be withdrawn depending on whether it proves beneficial to the country's tourism industry.