Tourists Visit Tibet in Record NumbersA total of 532,000 domestic and foreign tourists visited southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region in the first 10 months of this year, an increase of 41 percent over the corresponding period last year.According to the local tourism administration, this figure was a record high since Tibet opened to the outside world as a tourist destination 20 years ago. Of the total tourists, 128,000 are overseas travelers and 404, 000 are domestic visitors, showing increase of 27 and 47 percent respectively over the same period last year. From January to October, the region's tourism industry reported a total income of 620 million yuan, up 29.8 percent from the same period the previous year. Officials with the Tibet Tourism Administration attribute the booming tourism to the tourism promotion activities at trade fairs, the country's development strategy in the vast western area and interprovincial cooperation in the field. More Tourists Flock to TibetSome 185,000 tourists visited the Autonomous in the first six months of this year, an increase of 57 percent over the same period of 1999.According to a local official with the Tibet regional tourism bureau, 35,000 overseas tourists visited Tibet during the period, up 40 percent. More Tourists Flock to TibetSome 185,000 tourists visited the Tibet Autonomous Region in southwest China in the first six months of this year, an increase of 57 percent over the same period of 1999.According to a local official with the Tibet regional tourism bureau, 35,000 overseas tourists visited Tibet during the period, up 40 percent. |
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