Start your Asia trip here

If you're planning a trip to Asia, a good place to start gathering information is the Web site of each country's government tourism office or embassy.

Some major Asian nations, such as Japan, India and China, have government-run tourism offices in the United States, usually in New York and/or Los Angeles, with staff who can provide information. Smaller countries, such as Bhutan and Nepal, rely mainly on their Web sites to provide tourism information to those outside their countries, although their embassies or consulates can provide visa and some tourism information.

Another good source for travelers is the U.S. State Department, which issues information sheets on every nation in the world. Get country-by-country details, with a focus on security and safety, at www.travel.state.gov(click on "consular information sheets") or at 888-407-4747. The State Department also issues public announcements and travel warnings for countries where there's civil/political unrest, or worse.

Here's where to get tourist information:

Bhutan: Bhutan Department of Tourism, www.tourism.gov.bt/

Cambodia: Royal Cambodian Embassy, 202-726-7742, or www.embassyofcambodia.org/

China (People's Republic): China National Tourist Office, 800-670-2228 or www.cnto.org

Hong Kong: Hong Kong Tourism Board, 800-282-4582 or www.discoverhongkong.com/usa

India: Government of India Tourist Office, 213-380-8855 or www.incredibleindia.org

Indonesia: Indonesian Consulate, 212-879-0600, or Tourism Indonesia at www.tourismindonesia.com

Japan: Japan National Tourist Organization, 213-623-1952 or www.japantravelinfo.com

Korea: Korean National Tourism Corp., 323-634-0280 or http://english.tour2korea.com/

Laos: Embassy of Lao, 202-332-6416 or www.laoembassy.com

Malaysia: Malaysian Tourist Information Center, 800-336-6842 or www.tourismmalaysia.gov.my

Nepal: Nepal Embassy, 202-667-4550, or Nepal Tourism Board, www.welcomenepal.com

Pakistan: Pakistan Embassy, 202-243-6500, or Pakistan Ministry of Tourism, www.tourism.gov.pk/

Singapore: Singapore Tourist Promotion Board, 212-302-4861 or www.visitsingapore.com

Sri Lanka: Embassy of Sri Lanka, 202-483-4025, or Sri Lanka Tourism, www.srilankatourism.org/

Taiwan: Taipei Economic and Cultural Office, 213-389-1158, or Taiwan Tourism Bureau, www.taiwan.net.tw

Thailand: Tourism Authority of Thailand, 323-461-9814 or www.tourismthailand.org

Vietnam: Embassy of Vietnam, 202-861-0737 or Vietnam National Tourism Administration, www.vietnamtourism.com