According to the Tourism Bureau of Shigatse, the city has greatly boosted its tourism industry with its “Magical Qomolangma, mysterious Tibet, harmonious Shigatse” promotion in building its own tourism brand for World Tourism Day. From January through March, the city has welcomed 240 thousand domestic and international tourists, an increase of 32% from the last period, generating 210 million yuan in income, an increase of 23%.

In the analysis of Purbu Tashi, Bureau Chief of the Shigatse Tourism Bureau, based on data from January – March, tourism in the offseason has grown compared to the same period last year. Reasons for the rising number of tourists are three-fold: One, Tingri County had promotions such as “Winter in Tibet, Fun at Qomolangma” and Golden Week during the New Year from November 1st through March 31st, making the “Winter in Tibet” brand more visible; two, the price of hotel lodging, transportation, and attractions have lowered throughout the city, making more tourists visit; three, the increased promotion for winter travel via themed events and new advertising on Weibo and WeChat have greatly helped promote Shigatse’s cultural and traditional attractions.

Purbu Tashi said, in 2016, Shigatse will use the theme of “Magical Qomolangma, mysterious Tibet, harmonious Shigatse” to further develop high-end tourism and specialty tourism.