Tibet received more than 12 million visitors in the first 10 months in 2013

Tibet received more than 12 million visitors both at home and abroad between January and October 2013 according to the latest statistics provided by Tibet Tourism Bureau. Actually, the total number of visitors came to Tibet between January and October 2013 reached 12.149 million, and that number increases 21.6 percent compared to the same period of the last year.

To desalt the commercial function of Barkhor Street, the stores on both sides of Barkhor Street had been moved to the newly completed Barkhor Shopping Mall. Tourists who've been to Tibet might have found that Barkhor Street is an important circumambulation around Jokhang Temple. Numerous pilgrims would come here for pilgrimage every day and the number of pilgrims would even be higher on the important religious days. The circumambulation will be much wider and capacious after the stores were moved out from the street.

Relevant tourism departments in Tibet have put great emphasis on the tourism resources integration and completion under the premise of history protection since early 2013. A series of memorial halls were constructed to present the real history to both local Tibetans and tourists from different corners of the world. At the same time, the newly launched Barkhor Shopping Mall, Najin Bridge, Degi Children's Park and some other complexes present the modern aspects of Lhasa City for tourists come here for sightseeing.

Except for Potala Palace and some classic historical sites in Lhasa City, tourists planning to join the Tibet tour in winter have more choices in the scenic spots this year. As we all known, the Namtso Lake Winter Tour project has been carried out for several years. Be different from the earlier years, an increasingly number of tourists interested in the holy lake know that it is possible to pay a visit to Namtso Lake in the cold winter season. According to the latest information provided by the Administration Office of Namtso Lake Scenic Area, the weather condition at Namtso Lake in middle November is pretty good though the temperature is drops to -6 Celsius in the night. 4WD equipped with nonskid chains could drive to Tashi Island directly. Tourists willing to visit Namtso Lake in winter are strongly suggested to confirm whether the road to Namtso Lake is closed due to the climate in consideration of safety. It should be noted that warm clothes and sleeping bag is always necessary whenever you are planning to spend a night at Namtso Lake with an altitude above 4700 meters.

To attract more domestic tourists to travel to Tibet in winter, Tibet Tourism Bureau has held several Introduction & Promotion Conferences regarding the Tibet winter tour products in a series of domestic cities, including Beijing, Shanghai, Nanjiang, Chengdu and Chongqing. It is reported that the unique Tibetan New Year Festival celebration has been the major sailing point for the Tibet tour in winter 2013. The number of visitors came to Tibet in winter took about 17 percent of the total number of visitors in that year. It is predicted that the number of visitors come to Tibet for sightseeing in winter will create a new record in February during the celebration of the annual solemn Tibetan New Year.