Since the opening of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway on July 1 last
year, Tibet has witnessed a rapid growth in tourism. In the first
quarter of this year, it received 116,000 visitors, up 15.8 percent
on the same period last year, the Tibet regional tourism bureau
said.
Tourism income during the first quarter reached 105 million yuan
(US$13.6 million), up 16.5 percent on the same period year on year,
Xinhua News Agency reported.
In the run-up to the peak season, the bureau is drawing up plans
to control visitor numbers at top local attractions, such as the
Potala Palace, the former residence of Dalai Lama, because of the
fragility of the ancient buildings.
The palace's opening hours will be extended from July to
September, and tickets must be booked in advance.
Lhasa also plans to build a replica of the Potala Palace in
miniature.
Prior to the opening of the railway, the palace received an
average of 1,400 tourists a day. During last year's peak season,
however, that figure rose to 6,000.
The Qinghai-Tibet Railway, the first to link Tibet to the rest
of China, starts in Xining in northwest China's Qinghai Province
and ends in Lhasa. Before the opening of the 1,956-km railway,
tourists could only reach Tibet by air or road.
Tibet hosted more than 2.51 million tourists last year, of which
154,800 were from overseas.
In a bid to attract even more visitors, the bureau has promised
to freeze ticket prices at all tourist sites within the autonomous
region this year.
Jin Shixun, director of the Development and Reform Commission of
the Tibet Autonomous Region government said the region expected to
host three million tourists this year.
(CRI May 6, 2007)