China reports tourism gains in Tibet

LHASA, 11 December 2012: Southwest China’s Tibet Autonomous Region has received a record 10 million domestic and foreign tourists so far this year, tourism authorities said late last week.

Tourism data up to 30 November showed the region had seen a 22.6% year-on-year increase to 10.34 million visits said Wang Songping, an official with the region’s tourism bureau.

Revenues in the tourism sector increased 33.9%r on year to 12.4 billion yuan (US$1.99 billion), said Wang.

He attributed the boom to nationwide promotion efforts and improved transportation access.

The main tourist destinations include Tibetan Buddhism heritage sites, such as Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple and the Zhaxi Lhunbo Monastery.

Nearly 300,000 people are employed in the region’s tourism sector, according to government figures.

The number of tourists traveling to Tibet has grown by an average of 30% annually over the past five years. Last year, more than 8.69 million people visited Tibet, bringing in tourism revenues of RMB9.7 billion. Authorities expect to see 15 million tourists annually by 2015. Most of them are Chinese visitors. (Xinhua news).

Sourced: ttrweekly