A total of 100,700 foreign tourists visited southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region in the first 10 months this year, an increase of more than 18 percent over the corresponding period of last year.

According to the local tourism administration, this figure was a record high since Tibet became a tourist destination 19 years ago.

Most foreign tourists were from the United States, Japan, Germany, Britain, France, and the Netherlands, and many came to Tibet more than once, local tourism officials said.

Foreign tourists now are seen cycling everyday on the highway or shopping on the streets of Lhasa, the regional capital, they added.

At present, Tibet has 47 travel agencies and 77 hotels authorized to receive foreigners, offering over 8,000 beds.

More than 4,300 people are involved in Tibet's tourism industry, 62 percent of them ethnic Tibetans.

The Tibet Tourism Administration has also opened representative offices in Los Angeles and Tokyo.