Between January and May 2013, more than 1.18 million tourists visited Lhasa City, the capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region in the southwest region of China.

Statistics from Lhasa’s tourism bureau showed that the number of visitors increased by 35.9 percent from the same time period last year, and tourism revenue reached 1.03 billion Chinese yuan (166.7 million U.S. dollars), up 49.4 percent from the same period in 2012. The bureau said the number is expected to rise during peak season this summer.

Tibet as a whole is expecting 12.6 million tourists and 15.8 billion yuan in tourism revenues this year. Tourism has become one of the leading economic growth engines for the region. In 2012, tourist numbers hit 10.58 million, while revenue for the sector reached 12.65 billion Chinese yuan.

Monday, June 24, 2013