Lhasa tourism boost during Tibetan new year

Tourism revenues in Lhasa hit 26 million yuan (4.12 million U.S. dollars) during the Tibetan New Year holiday, local tourism officials said Friday. The capital city of the Tibet Autonomous Region received 43,230 visitors between Feb. 21 and 27, up by 13.98 percent year-on-year, according to the Lhasa tourism bureau. Statistics also showed that in 2011, a total of 5.14 million people visited Lhasa, up by 24.33 percent year-on-year. The city pulled in 5.1 billion yuan in tourism revenues that year. Lhasa plans to further develop "tourism products with local characteristics" in 2012 and build the city into a major tourist destination, tourism bureau officials said. Lhasa's tourist attractions include the Potala Palace and Jokhang Temple.