Lhasa received a record high of 16 million tourists from at home and abroad last year, or up 17.6 percent year on year, the city's tourist authorities said Sunday.

Shanghai will send 1.1 million tourists to Tibet in the next three years as part of an action plan to aid the development of the remote southwestern region.

The tourism in Ngari revenue totaled about 750 million yuan, up by 10 percent over the same period last year, learned from statistics released by Ngari Tourism Bureau.

UNESCO World Heritage Site Jiuzhai Valley will reopen gradually after a 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck the popular tourist destination last August, according to a local official.

Tibet Autonomous Region saw a record 4.51 million air passengers in 2017, up 11.9 percent from the previous year, the regional civil aviation administration said.

Tourists are now able to enjoy a bird's-eye view of the plateau city of Lhasa, capital of southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, as the city has approved a helicopter travel service.

Tibet offers sunny winter days and starry nights, and many who have visited Lhasa have seen more than 130 types of birds in the season.

About 4.95 million tourists visited the city of Nyingchi in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region in the first 11 months of 2017, up 18.94 percent year on year, authorities said Tuesday.