China is charting out a 15-year ambitious plan to turn the picturesque Himalayan region of Tibet…
China is charting out a 15-year ambitious plan to turn the picturesque Himalayan region of Tibet into a major international tourism hub, especially to woo visitors from neighbouring South Asian countries, including India, so as to boost the local economy.
The first Tibet tourism development plan, which will last from 2005 to 2020, has entered the final assessment phase, a senior Tibetan official has said.
The plan covered six regions in Tibet, with total area of 1.2 million square kilometres, vice chairman of Tibet Autonomous Region, Losang Jamcan said.
According to the plan, Tibet will focus on developing inbound tourism and domestic tourism, in order to establish as an important tourism hub between China and South Asia as well as a world famous high plateau tourism destination combining ecology and Tibetan culture.
By 2010, Tibet will attract 280,000 inbound travellers and 2.2 million domestic visitors. Tourism revenue will reach four billion yuan (0.5 billion US dollars), accounting for 10 per cent of local gross domestic product (GDP). By 2020, Tibet hopes to attract 1.12 million inbound tourists and 9.05 million domestic travellers. Tourism revenue in 2020 is expected to reach 22.8 billion yuan (2.8 billion US dollars).
Losang said tourism will also promote urbanisation and infrastructure construction in Tibet as well as help protect Tibetan traditional culture and the environment.
In recent years, the Tibetan tourism industry developed rapidly. Last year, Tibet received 1.22 million visitors, gaining 0.19 billion dollars worth of tourism revenue.
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