Norbulingka Summer Palace [Photo taken by Tenzin Woebom/VTIBET.com]

According to statistics released by Tourism Development and Reform Commission of Tibet Autonomous Region, in 2016, a total of about 23.16 million domestic and foreign tourists visited Tibet, with an increase of 14.8%. In detail, Tibet received more than 22.83 million domestic tourists and 321,900 overseas tourists last year, growing by 14.9 percent and 10 percent respectively compared with the corresponding period in 2015. China Tibet News reported.

What’s more, the tourism revenue topped over 33 billion yuan, up 17.3 percent over the same period of last year, achieving a good start in China’s 13th Five-Year Plan for 2016-2020.

To attract tourists to experience more about Tibetan culture, during Tibetan New Year of last year, Tibet’s tourism industry carried out a series of tour routes for travelers, such as visiting local Tibetan households, tasting “Gutu” (a traditional delicacy in Tibet eaten on Tibetan New Year’s Eve), attending chanting ceremony as well as watching the working process of butter sculpture at Sera and Drepung Monastery. The special activity has significantly boosted tourism in Tibet.

What’s more, series of interesting festivals like Tibetan New Year, Nyingchi Peach Blossom Festival, Lhoka Yarlung Cultural Festival, Shigatse Mt. Qomolangma Cultural Tourism Festival and Nagchu Horse Racing Festival, Lhasa Shoton Festival, also known as the yogurt banquet as well as Tibet Tourism and Culture International Expo etc. were held in Tibet from January to September of 2016, promoting the development of Tibet tourism industry.

In 2016, under the strong leadership of the Tibet Autonomous Regional Party committee and government, tourism system of Tibet not only spared no effort in creating an updated tourism, but also unremittingly focused on scale of tourism industry, standardization of tourism services, A-level scenic quality, three-dimensional publicity and marketing as well as profit maximization for the locals. Tibet’s tourism industry has continued to maintain a sustained, healthy and rapid development.

So far, Tibet has 246 star-rated hotels, 448 star-rated family inns, 212 companies providing food and beverage service, 19 passenger transport enterprises, 117 A-level scenic spots and 244 travel agencies, indicating Tibet’s tourism economy hits another record high, tourist industry scale expands gradually, passenger reception ability enhances significantly and various indexes of tourism industry achieve a new breakthrough.

This year, Tibet’s tourism industry will strive to welcome more than 25 million domestic and foreign tourists, raise tourism revenue to over 37 billion yuan, improve employment in tourism with a total of 380 thousand people and create two 5A level scenic spots and more than ten 4A scenic spots, according to Garma Tseden, deputy secretary of Party committee and executive vice-director of Tibet Autonomous Regional Tourism Development and Reform Commission.