Located in Southwest China and sometimes referred to as the “world’s third pole” because it contains the biggest ice fields outside of the Arctic and Antarctic, Tibet is accelerating tourism promotion to boost economic development and enhance cultural exchanges, officials said.
According to the preferential policies released during the fourth China Tibet Tourism and Culture Expo held last month, tourists will be able to visit all the region’s attractions of a 3A category and above for free from 1 November to 5 March.
Delegates from home and abroad share insights at a forum during the expo Cultural exchanges: delegates from home and abroad share insights at a forum during the Expo CREDIT: PALDEN NYIMA/CHINA DAILY The price of hotels will be reduced to less than 50 per cent compared with peak season, while airline tickets will also be discounted by more than 50 per cent.
More than 11.1 million tourists visited Tibet from January to June, up 29.6 per cent year-on-year. In 2017, revenue from tourism reached about 38 billion yuan (£3.4bn), which accounted for nearly 30 per cent of local GDP, according to data from the region’s government.
Tuladhar Dhruba Ratna, general manager of Nepal Yingyang International Travel and Tours, has been a regular visitor to Tibet since 1992.
At a tourism and culture-related summit during the expo, he said that his company has sent many foreign tourists to the region. “I can’t explain how the [local] growth has been achieved. This is beyond my imagination.
“It’s a very good thing for Tibet and for us too, as we can promote Tibet better. It has become very modern,” he said.