Roof of the world hits new heights
( 2001-05-22 10:53 ) (1 )

Already a magnet for sightseers and adventurers, Tibet is now vowing to turn the "roof of the world" into a tourism paradise by improving its infrastructure and adding more sites of interest to travellers' itineraries.

It is also promising to simplify procedures for foreigners going trekking, according to Mingyal, the vice-director of the Tibet Tourism Bureau.

Snow-capped peaks, mysterious monasteries, endless forests and lakes - Tibet has much to offer.

Twenty years of tourism development has laid a foundation for the sector to further thrive, he said on Monday.

Over the past five years, the region has received more than 2 million visitors, both Chinese and foreign, with an average annual rise of 20.5 per cent, indicated statistics from the bureau.

Under the regional government's 10th Five-Year Plan (2001-05), Tibet will make tourism a pillar industry and try to grab a bigger slice of the international market, according to Legqog, chairman of the Tibet Autonomous Region.

With its unique natural and cultural resources being a big draw for tourists, all Tibet has to do is to upgrade its tourism infrastructure facilities in line with international standards and improve the management and skills of those engaged in the tourism industry, Mingyal said.

In addition, the tourism bureau is looking to make more areas accessible for visitors, especially sites of interest in Nyingchi, Qamdo and Ngari, according to bureau sources.

"The first thing prior to the opening of a tourism site is to have an overall plan of tourism resources to make sure that the infrastructure is in place and that the development of tourism will not erode the ecology," said Jigmi, another official from the bureau.

Many places worth seeing in Tibet are uninhabited virgin forests, grasslands and valleys, prompting local authorities to make the personal safety of visitors the priority before developing tourism, Jigmi said.

"We welcome people from all over the world to Tibet," said Jigmi. "But in light of our accommodation capacity, Tibet's traffic and tourism infrastructure and for safety concerns, we currently encourage travelling in groups."

At the moment local authorities require foreigners and those from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan who plan to visit, study or do business in Tibet to go through a registration procedure.

Some sites are even off limits to them, Jigmi said.

But he added: "The related departments will do their best to simplify procedures to facilitate their trekking in Tibet. We have started to get travel agencies to handle registration."

The Tibet Tourism Bureau has launched offices in Beijing, Chengdu, Hong Kong and Kathmandu to provide services for foreigners planning to visit Tibet in individuals or groups, he said.

Last year, 136,100 foreign tourists travelled to Tibet, an increase of 37.1 per cent on 1999, according to the bureau's latest statistics.