Travel and Leisure, a leading American travel magazine, published its 2016 list of most popular travel destination cities in the world, according to voting based on travelers’ personal experiences. Lhasa is the only Chinese city selected to the 10 top tourism cities in Asia, ranking 10th.

The top 10 tourism cities in Asia ranked in order as Chiang Mai, Thailand; Luang Prabang, Laos; Kyoto, Japan; Siem Reap, Cambodia; Bangkok, Thailand; Hoi An, Vietnam; Ubud, Indonesia; Tokyo, Japan; Lhasa, China.

Lhasa is one of the cities on China’s State Council’s first published group of 24 historical and cultural cities, and the Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple, and Norbulingka are all included on the UNESCO World Heritage List. As the first Chinese historical and cultural city, Lhasa has beautiful scenery, a long history, unique folk customs, rich religious traditions and is famous worldwide.

On November 1, 2011, Lhasa earned the designation as one of the 2015 “China’s 10 Lively and Leisurely Cities”. Transportation: one can enter Lhasa via train, plane, and automobile. Of course, intrepid travelers may also choose to enter Tibet by bike, hitchhiking, or by walking.