02 October 2006
Tibet tourism plans announced
(China Daily) The Chinese National Tourism Administration, related local governments and tourism experts are drawing up detailed plans for areas along the newly launched Golmud-Lhasa railway. The project aims to map out major tourism sites and products that can be bought there, members of the planning team told China Daily. In addition to existing tourist sites, new areas on the plateau will be opened for visitors, said Zhang Chao, a member of the planning team. By exploiting new spring and winter scenic spots, the tourist season will be extended from the current six months (May-October) to more than eight months after 2020 when all the projects are finished, said Zhang. In order to attract different tourists groups, tourism themes will also be developed, including those for religious pilgrims and more adventurous tourists. According to Zhang, due to the high price of getting to the area, the target tourists are middle-class families and foreigners.