Tibet sees tourism rebound in May Day holiday

Over the May Day holiday, Tibet's tourism industry saw a surge in visitor numbers, resulting in revenue of 848 million yuan ($131 million). According to the Regional Tourism Development Bureau, the number of visitors to Tibet during the holiday surged by 73.25 percent compared to last year, reaching 1.17 million, and the total tourism revenue increased by 61.52 percent compared to last year, affirming the positive development trend of Tibet's tourism industry. Additionally, the average occupancy rate of star-rated hotels in the region reached 74 percent.

According to Trip.com, the average travel radius of its users during the May Day holiday increased by 25 percent compared to the same period last year, with the average flight distance being 1,638 kilometers, roughly equivalent to the distance from Shanghai to Hohhot, reaching the peak of the past four years. The number of travel bookings to Tibet increased by 179 percent compared to 2019.

To accommodate the influx of visitors, many popular tourist attractions, such as Potala Palace and Barkhor Street, welcomed tourists. The Namtso Lake Scenic Area had around 1,500 visitors per day on average, with 2,000 visitors per day during the peak of the holiday. The popular scenic spot held a lake opening ceremony before the May Day holiday to attract more tourists.

To enhance the variety of tourism options during the holiday and attract more revenue to the region, the Tourism Development Bureau launched six new quality tourism routes for tourists to explore. The bureau also launched an inspection team to investigate key scenic spots, hotels, and shopping centers to ensure a safe and fair tourism market was maintained during the holiday.

In the future, the bureau will continue to improve its current key tourism routes and will introduce more refined tourism routes for city break and rural leisure holidays to attract more visitors to Tibet and revitalize the local tourism industry.