Herders to hoteliers: China brings millions of tourists to Tibet

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Herders to hoteliers: China brings millions of tourists to Tibet

35m tourists flooded into the region last year, ten times the entire population of Tibet

Published: June 15, 2021 17:03 AFP

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China-Tibet Tourism gallery — In a room warmed by an open wood stove, Baima says her family converted their white-brick house into a hotel as China ushers tens of millions of tourists to Tibet. Image Credit: AFP

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China-Tibet Tourism gallery — Surrounded by mist-covered mountains, nearly 500 kilometres (300 miles) from the capital, Lhasa, and close to a disputed border with India, most of the houses in her remote village of Tashigang have followed suit and turned into homestays. "We used to live a life of herding and farming," the 27-year-old told AFP. "Then the government encouraged us to run a hotel." Image Credit: AFP

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China-Tibet Tourism gallery — The villagers - who speak the Tibetan language - have been given Mandarin classes to help them accommodate the Chinese guests whose arrival has boosted their income. Image Credit: AFP

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China-Tibet Tourism gallery — "Opening hotels is not as hard as herding," Baima said, from her home packed with ornate wooden furniture and brightly painted walls. Government officials looked on as she spoke. Image Credit: AFP

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China-Tibet Tourism gallery — Thirty-five million tourists flooded into the region last year, ten times the entire population of Tibet. Image Credit: AFP

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China-Tibet Tourism gallery — Waves of mainland travellers have flocked to the region, attracted by the scenery, air of mystique and multitude of new transport links. Many dress in traditional Tibetan outfits and pose outside cultural landmarks in the capital city of Lhasa. Image Credit: AFP

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China-Tibet Tourism gallery — Baima's hamlet has 51 family hotels, according to officials, tying the bulk of its residents to the tourism industry. Image Credit: AFP

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China-Tibet Tourism gallery — "The government organises cultural training, national common language training (and) catering industry training," party official Chen Tiantian told a crowd of reporters on the state-organised trip. "Now 80 percent of the people in the village can communicate in Mandarin," she added. Image Credit: AFP

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China-Tibet Tourism gallery — Baima's neighbour Cangjie, wearing an identical traditional dress with embroidered sleeves, said their lives have changed. Image Credit: AFP

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China-Tibet Tourism gallery — "With the arrival of outsiders, we are... exposed to new things," she said, pictures of the Chinese president Xi Jinping hanging from her walls. Image Credit: AFP

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China-Tibet Tourism gallery — Tashigang comes under the jurisdiction of Nyingtri city - a modern city called Linzhi in Chinese that is being dubbed an "international tourism area" by the government, pulling in eight million visitors last year. Image Credit: AFP

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China-Tibet Tourism gallery — "Our next goal is to strive for international tourists," said Hu Xiongying, from the managing Party group of Lunang tourism town - Lulang in Chinese - a neighbouring district that administers Tashigang. Image Credit: AFP

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China-Tibet Tourism gallery — A guide speaking to the media in the tourist town of Lunang. Image Credit: AFP

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China-Tibet Tourism gallery — A tourist posing for a picture at Jokhang Temple in the regional capital Lhasa. Image Credit: AFP

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China-Tibet Tourism gallery — A Buddhist monk at the Potala Palace - classified as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1994 - in the regional capital, Lhasa. Image Credit: AFP

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China-Tibet Tourism gallery — Tourists riding horses at Namtso lake in Dangxiong county, known in Tibetan as Damxung county. Image Credit: AFP

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China-Tibet Tourism gallery — Villager Cangjie at her hotel in the village of Tashigang. Image Credit: AFP

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China-Tibet Tourism gallery — A tourist posing for a photographer next to Jokhang Temple. Image Credit: AFP

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