Lhasa aims to be an international tourism draw

Lhasa, the capital city of southwest China's Tibet autonomous region, aims to turn itself into an international tourism city and a major world tourism destination, a spokesman with the city's tourism bureau said on Saturday. Lhasa will make efforts to achieve this goal by upgrading its unique tourism products and expanding the global tourist market in 2012, the spokesman said. In 2012, Lhasa will work hard to create one AAAAA-rated tourist site, the highest rating in China, and another three AAA-rated sites. The city will also initiate a "tourist talents project" by training more professionals in tourism service industries and helping more local farmers get involved in the tourism industry. By promoting themed tourism campaigns, including "Winter Tour in Tibet" and "Lhasa View," Lhasa will expand its domestic and global tourist market throughout Japan, the Republic of Korea, the United States and European countries. In 2011, Tibet received 8.5 million worldwide tourist arrivals. And annual tourism income in Tibet is expected to top 9.5 billion yuan (about 1.5 billion U.S. dollars). An estimated 15 million tourists will visit Tibet annually by 2015, generating up to 18 billion yuan in annual tourism revenue, according to the region's 12th Five-Year Plan (2011-2015).