Talking Travel: Six Flags China Hits a Snag, UAE to Offer 5-Year Visas

Talking Travel: Your semi-regular roundup of Beijing's latest transportation-related news.

Six Flags China may have a bumpy ride ahead

You might say that entering China has been a bit of a roller coaster for regional amusement park giant Six Flags, which first announced plans to launch in the country back in 2015. The group has around a dozen parks in the pipeline, including one right here in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei area which would put them in direct competition with Universal Studios.

The park closest to completion is Six Flags Zhejiang, about 72km from Shanghai, and though it was set to open this summer, troubles began to arise last year when the company overseeing the China projects, Riverside Group, became overwhelmed with legal battles. Six Flags faced similar obstacles in Dubai, leading to the cancellation of its plans for a park there last April.

Now, trading of Riverside holdings has come to a halt as the company has apparently found itself unable to pay its debts. That could mean the construction site in Zhejiang will become an abandoned ghost park – but it wouldn’t be the country’s first.

Visiting the UAE just got easier for everyone

Though it also lacks a Six Flags park, there are still plenty of reasons to travel to Dubai. Fortunately, trips to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are about to become less of a hassle for regular travelers thanks to the country’s new tourist visa scheme.

To be implemented in the first quarter of this year, new tourist visas will be valid for five years for visitors from all countries. Previously, the validity period was limited to a maximum of 90 days. Additionally, Mexican passport holders will be able to enter the country without a visa.

Travelers should note, however, that in light of recent tensions, the US Embassy in the UAE has tweeted that "US citizens are strongly encouraged to maintain a high level of vigilance and practice good situational awareness." Still, the state department’s website has kept the travel advisory level at a 1, signifying that travelers should simply exercise normal precautions.

New route to Paris as airlines continue to trickle toward Daxing

The slow but sure transition of airlines from Beijing Capital International Airport to Daxing International Airport continues. Notably, Delta Airlines will move both of its daily flights, departing from Seattle and Detroit, into Beijing to the southern airport beginning this month. At the same time, Air Macau will shift its daily flights from Macau into Beijing to Daxing from Macau, but daily flights to that region will continue to land at Beijing Capital International Airport.

Meanwhile, China Eastern will launch a new daily flight to Paris starting Mar 29, which will be the airline’s first route from Daxing. For more details on which airlines and services are expected to transition to Daxing, click here.

Beijing Capital International Airport to upgrade its people mover

Finally, big news for fans of people movers, as Beijing Capital International Aiport has just granted a RMB 215 million contract to Nanjing-based CRRC Puzhen Bombardier Transportation Systems to upgrade the airport's automated people mover system. Upgrades to the system, which helps transport people between terminals, includes adjustments to the current 18 carriages as well as nine new cars, according to Railway Gazette.

READ: Making the Forbidden City Fun for Kids: Gardens, Sketching, and Dragons Galore

Images: Six Flags, CCAonline