Tibet state media yesterday reported a record 1.2 million tourists visited the country last month. Tourists are returning to the region following 17 months of deadly unrest. In March 2009 China banned travel to Tibet after riots broke out in the Lhasa capital, marking the 49th anniversary of a failed revolt.
The state media report said last month “We achieved the highest performance in terms of the number of tourists and total income in July in the history of tourism development in Tibet.” Foreign tourists generated 1.1 billion yuan of revenue in July, twice the revenue generated in July 2009. A previous report from Xinhua news agency said visitor arrivals in 2008 dropped 44% to 2.25 million in 2008, and tourism revenue more than halved.
