Tibet Autonomous Region Enters Summer Tourist Season

China's Tibet Autonomous Region has entered the August summer tourist season.

Local tourist officials predict that the region will raise around three billion yuan, or nearly $440 million US dollars, in tourism revenue this year.

Shuang Feng takes a closer look.

Reporter:

Tsamjor is a middle-aged Tibetan woman in Lhasa. She runs a home hotel next to the Potala Palace, a famous place of interest in the regional capital.

The hotel owner says the current tourist boom will surely bring business and money to her family.

"My family has had a yearly income of above 100,000 yuan in recent years and we have received more than 300 guests from dozens of foreign countries so far this year. As the summer tourist season is arriving, we are now busy with preparatory work to reserve more rooms for the massive arrival of tourists."

Tourists from home and abroad have begun flooding into the world's highest region, causing Tibet-bound airline and train tickets to be in short supply.

Huang Guoyue is from the China International Travel Service.

"Large numbers of tourists want to travel to Tibet so air and railway tickets are in great demand. Moreover, some travellers find it hard to book a room in Lhasa as the city's hotels have all been reserved."

She revealed that her travel agency organized four Tibet-bound travel groups each week over the past month and that number is rising.

Actually, the boom in the Tibetan tourist market has benefited largely from an upcoming traditional Tibetan festival - the Shoton Festival, which runs from August 20th to the 26th.

The festival will feature unique Tibetan culture and the tradition of Buddhism. Tourists will also get a glimpse into the Tibetan singing and dancing culture with clear blue skies as their backdrop.

Gyangkar, the director of the tourist bureau of Lhasa, predicts a fruitful year for the local tourist industry.

"I'm very optimistic about the tourist market over the remaining period of the year. We estimate that the whole region will receive about three million tourists this year. The yearly tourism industry revenue will amount to 2.8 billion yuan."

Tibet suffered a slump in in-bound tourists last year due to the impact of the international financial crisis. Yet, the local industry has begun to pick up since the beginning of this year.

Shuang Feng, CRI news.