Tibet received 8.7 mln tourists last year

Southwest China's Tibet autonomous region received 8.7 million tourists in 2011, up 26.9 percent year-on-year, local authorities said Monday. The number of domestic travelers the region received surged 27.2 percent year-on-year to 8.42 million, and the amount of international tourists increased 18.6 percent to 270,000, according to a press release issued by the regional statistics bureau. The region's tourism revenue last year totaled 9.7 billion yuan (1.54 billion U.S. dollars), up 35.8 percent year-on-year, it said. The tourism foreign exchange revenue expanded 25.1 percent year-on-year to 129.63 million U.S. dollars. Tourism is an important industry for the resort-rich region. Major landmarks, including the Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon and Mount Qomolangma, are draws for tourists, and local authorities have also been encouraging activities to boost the industry, such as the establishment of five-star hotels and personnel training for high-quality service.