Xizang's allure proves irresistible to tourists

Number of international visitors to autonomous region up 300 percent

Xizang's inbound tourism has shown a strong recovery over the past two years after COVID-19 pandemic restrictions ended.

Statistics from the Xizang Department of Culture and Tourism show that, from January to July, the autonomous region in Southwest China received nearly 180,000 overseas tourist visits, up 308.6 percent from the same period of 2023.

The figures show that Xizang remains a favored destination for overseas tourists, despite a three-year lockdown starting from early 2020.

In the eyes of many overseas tourists, Xizang is a place worth visiting at least once in a lifetime. The autonomous region's spectacular landscape, pristine environment, long history, brilliant culture and colorful life have left unforgettable memories to many who have visited it.

In early September, a group of tourists from the United States, Mexico and Belgium arrived in Xizang. The major goal of their journey was to experience the folk culture, ecological environment, religions and everyday life.

A surprise for them was a vineyard in Sangri county in Lhokha city. They were informed that the site owned by the local winery Phagdru Chateau, standing at an altitude of about 3,600 meters, might be among the world's highest vineyards.

A worker at the vineyard told the tourists that this place can produce one of the best grapes in the world because of its sunlight, dry weather and an irrigation system using water from the Yarlung Zangbo River.

In Lhokha's Dranang county, tourists visited the manufacturing plant of a garment company and tried on some clothes and hats made with traditional techniques.

Mason Smith from the US even asked a sewer to teach him to make a traditional Tibetan robe. "The production process is more difficult than I imagined," he said after trying to work on a sewing tool for a while.

Also in Dranang county, the tourist group visited a handicraft cooperative to experience the making of shidiao, a traditional craft that involves carving wooden, jade or metal items.

With a history of more than 300 years, the technique of shidiao has been included in Xizang's list of intangible heritage.

Pema Dradul, head of the cooperative and the sixth-generation inheritor of the craft, told the visitors that the art of shidiao features great details.

"A widespread legend about the technique is that a grain of highland barley was carved into the shape of a small insect," Pema Dradul said.

Pema Dradul began to learn the craft in 1981, when he was 12, from his elder brother. He said it usually takes more than five years to master the skills.

He said his cooperative now has more than 300 employees, many of whom have received tutoring from himself.

"A skilled worker can earn more than 10,000 yuan ($1,374) a month, as our products are sought-after on the market," Pema Dradul said. "That's a considerable income in the rural areas."

Rural cooperatives are a burgeoning economic entity in rural Xizang, which take in rural residents as stakeholders.

In Changga village in Lhasa's Lhundrub county, the tourists visited a farming machine cooperative and a construction workers' cooperative.

Local officials told them the two cooperatives contributed 2.86 million yuan to the village in 2023. While family members got paid for their work, the village's 141 households also received dividends of 436,000 yuan in total from the two cooperatives.

Jose Primo from Mexico showed great interest in the rural cooperative system in Xizang. "Now I understand a cooperative is an effective organization for production and economic operations in rural areas," Primo said. "It is a case of best practices that other countries can learn from."

The tourist group also visited the Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple, Barkor Street and Xizang Museum in Lhasa to learn about the protection of Xizang's traditional cultural heritage.

Tour group

Earlier in August 2023, Chris Chan, an American-Chinese from Los Angeles, had a nine-day tour of Xizang. He shared his experience on his social media account.

"I strongly recommend overseas tourists to join group tours organized by local travel agencies in Xizang. They have tailored options for them," he said.

Chan said he applied for group tour service offered by a travel agency in Lhasa. Its tailored services include helping overseas tourists prepare travel documents and making a travel plan that can cover the essence of Xizang.

"The second day after the arrival in Lhasa, we visited the Xizang Museum," Chan said. "The most exciting thing was that a ceremony called sutra debate was held at the museum, giving us a glimpse into the unique features of Tibetan Buddhism."

Chan learned that sutra debate has been an essential part of the training of monks since the time of the first Buddhist monasteries in Xizang, and has been carried forward as a tradition of Buddhist heritage to the present day. In the debate, the main intention is to defeat misconceptions on the philosophy of the Buddhist scriptures and to establish and maintain a defensible point of view.

In the following days, Chan and other tour members also visited Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple and Barkor Street in Lhasa; Yamdrok Yutso Lake and Karula Glacier in Lhokha; Tashilhunpo Monastery and Mount Qomolangma base camp in Shigatse; and Nam Co Lake in the boundary area between Lhasa and Nagchu.

"This is a classic itinerary for a short-term journey because it has covered the representative aspects of culture, life and nature in Xizang," Chan said.

On his social media account, Chan gave a brief and exact introduction of these places:

"Potala Palace is the holy site of Tibetan Buddhism and a landmark of Lhasa; Jokhang Temple is among the earliest monasteries in Lhasa; and Barkor Street is the busiest commercial street in Lhasa. Nam Co and Yamdrok Yutso are among the three holy lakes in Xizang. And Mount Qomolangma base camp is the best location to view the highest mountain in the world..."

He said the journey cost him less than 10,000 yuan, including about 6,000 yuan paid to the travel agency to cover such expenses as tickets, lodging, tour guide service and transportation in Xizang. The journey between Beijing and Lhasa, including a plane and a train trip, cost him more than 3,000 yuan.

"The spending means this is an absolutely cost-effective trip," Chan said.

Overseas influx

For veteran traveler Vladimir Poda, Xizang is a place worth many visits in one's lifetime.

After hearing the news that Xizang would reopen to foreign tourists in 2023, All Ways International, a US-based travel agency that Poda works with, wasted no time in putting advertisements on its social media platforms and contacting clients.

The company organized its first group of 11 foreign travelers for a tour to the autonomous region in late May 2023.

The tour comprised mostly Russians and people from European countries, according to Poda, an American-Russian who works as an organizer of tourist groups for the company.

Poda's first tour of Xizang was in 2013, with a group of around 20 people, mostly Russian-speakers from several countries. He has visited Xizang nine times in the past decade.

"Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many foreign travelers had to cancel their plans to visit Xizang in the past three years, and some have been eager to tour the region," Poda said.

Xizang suspended inbound tourism in February 2020, in accordance with the policies of China's Ministry of Culture and Tourism which aimed to curb the COVID-19 pandemic.

There has been an influx of foreign travelers into Xizang since the autonomous region reopened its tourism industry to the outside world in April 2023. More than 13,000 foreign tourists visited in July that year.

On Aug 8, 2023, another tourist group organized by Poda arrived in the autonomous region.

"We visited Potala Palace, Jokhang Temple, and Drakyerpa Monastery … and we also visited a Tibetan village near Drakyerpa Monastery to get a glimpse of local people's life," he said. "What I like the most are Jokhang Temple and Potala Palace in Lhasa. I like them very much."

Poda added that he prefers to stay in simple hotels, rather than fancy ones, as long as they have good locations from which to observe the culture and nature of Xizang.

"We just visited Drakyerpa, there are many meditation caves, which meant a lot for me, because I practice meditation and yoga," he said.

"I also like to worship the sacred Mount Kailash with a circumambulating trip as the Tibetans and the Indians do."

Pilgrims from several religions believe that circumambulating Mount Kailash on foot is a holy ritual that will bring good fortune.