Recently, during the Cultural Tourism Industry Development Conference held in Lhasa, the Tibet Autonomous Region officials provided an impressive overview of the region’s tourism achievements. Can you share the highlights of the conference?

Absolutely. This year, from January to September, Tibet welcomed over 57 million domestic and international visitors, surpassing the projected total of 55.17 million for the entire year of 2023.

That’s quite an achievement! What factors have contributed to this surge in tourism?

Xiao Chuanjiang, Deputy Director of the Tibet Autonomous Region Publicity Department and Secretary of the Regional Cultural and Tourism Bureau, noted that Tibet’s rich historical and cultural heritage has significantly broadened the scope and depth of its cultural tourism industry. As a result, cultural tourism consumption has shown a remarkable recovery. This year alone, the cultural industry generated an output value of approximately 8.9 billion RMB (around 1.4 billion USD), and total tourism spending reached 67.055 billion RMB, marking a 13% increase from last year.

What initiatives are in place to promote Tibet’s cultural tourism brands?

Xiao highlighted that various promotional activities are being conducted internationally, with successful events like the “China Tibet Cultural Week” and “Happy Spring Festival” organized in countries such as Sri Lanka, South Korea, and Singapore. These efforts have significantly enhanced the region’s cultural tourism brand image. Currently, there are 9,676 registered cultural tourism enterprises in Tibet, an increase of over 1,000 since 2021.

I understand there are special initiatives to encourage winter tourism as well?

Yes, starting in 2018, the Tibet Autonomous Region launched the “Winter Tour in Tibet” initiative, which allows visitors to access A-level tourist attractions for free, excluding temple sites, during the winter season. Many hotels also offer discounts during this off-peak period. To further stimulate the tourism market, a new round of winter tourism promotions was kicked off on October 18 in Lhasa. This year’s campaign includes the distribution of 10,000 free flight tickets and 10,000 train tickets to encourage even more visitors to experience Tibet in the winter.

It sounds like there are numerous exciting developments for tourism in Tibet! Thank you for sharing these insights.