Tibet attracts more inland China tourists

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 ◆ Tibet attracts more inland China tourists

More and more tourists from inland China traveled to Tibet Autonomous Region this year, bringing a soaring tourism income to the region.

Figures from the local tourism bureau show that, by the end of October, 8.4 million visitors traveled to Tibet this year, up 24.5 percent over the same period last year. Some 7.1 million were from inland China and 1.3 million from overseas, up 28.8 percent and 4.6 percent respectively.

These primarily inland tourists have brought a boon to local tourism with an increase of 556 million yuan (67.8 million US dollars) to local income by the end of October, up 36 percent over the same period last year. Daily per capita consumption has risen to 446 yuan (54 US dollars), up 17 percent.

Most of the tourists were from coastal or developed areas like Beijing, Shanghai or Guangdong Province in the south.

Tibet's tourists mostly came from overseas when the industry began developing in 1980. Since the mid 1990s, the number of inland tourists has increased remarkably as the region promoted domestic travel.