Although he has been back in Hong Kong for several days, 75-year-old Leung Chau-ting is still lost in the memories of his recent trip to Xizang.

On February 19 this year, the inaugural flight of the "Lhasa—Chengdu Tianfu—Hong Kong" route landed at Hong Kong International Airport, marking the official opening of the first regional air route between Lhasa and Hong Kong. In order to experience the charm of Tibetan culture, Leung Chau-ting purchased a ticket.

After visiting places such as the Potala Palace and the Jokhang Temple, Leung Chau-ting, who was touring Xizang for the first time, exclaimed that he was "wide-eyed with amazement". "Xizang is a place worth coming back to! I've already shared this unforgettable journey with many friends." He said.

Xizang integrates the beauty of natural landscapes, historical and cultural heritage, and ethnic customs. It adheres to a distinctive and high-quality development path, promotes in-depth integration of culture and tourism, and strives to cultivate the cultural tourism industry into a pillar industry for enriching the people.

Adhere to cultural empowerment and create high-quality cultural tourism brands

On the evening of March 23, by the Lhasa River and at the foot of a hill, the Tibetan cultural epic drama "Princess Wencheng" premiered its 13th season, with cheers echoing from the live audience.

Watching a performance of Princess Wencheng has now become a must-do activity for many tourists visiting Lhasa. Leveraging the Princess Wencheng drama, Lhasa has developed ethnic-themed streets and tourism-themed parks in Ceqogling Village, where the theater is located. It has also developed related cultural and creative products, creating a fully integrated cultural tourism industrial chain that encompasses "food, accommodation, transportation, sightseeing, shopping, and entertainment." Since its debut, the drama and the tourism projects have welcomed over 32 million visitors and distributed approximately 500 million yuan RMB in salaries to local villagers.

In 2024, the output value of Xizang's cultural industry reached 11.144 billion yuan RMB, with a year-on-year growth of 23.8%. The region received a cumulative total of 63.891 million domestic and foreign tourists, a year-on-year increase of 15.81%, and achieved a total tourism revenue of 74.593 billion yuan RMB, with a year-on-year growth of 14.5%.

Adhere to a market-oriented approach and establish an all-region and all-season tourism pattern

"Visit Xizang in winter and enjoy free admission to A-level tourist attractions!" This message went viral on social media platforms last winter, drawing widespread attention from consumers. In order to sustain a robust tourism market in both the off-season and the peak season, Xizang has been carrying out the "Winter Tour in Xizang" campaign for seven consecutive years, introducing a series of "incentive, subsidy, and benefit" policies to attract more tourists.

In order to promote the transformation of the tourism industry from "a single destination and a single-season model" to an "all-region and all-season pattern," Xizang has emphasized regional coordination, focusing on enhancing the level of cultural and tourism public services along major access routes such as National Highway G318 and continuously improving tourists' travel experiences. Additionally, it has highlighted the development of distinctive and high-quality attractions, creating boutique tourism routes such as the "World's-Roof-Style Scenic Self-Drive Route along the Yunnan-Xizang Highway," "City Walk in Lhasa," and the "Most Beautiful Heavenly Lake Tour," as well as organizing events like "Winter Tour in Xizang" to continually enrich product offerings.

"Visit Xizang in winter and enjoy free admission to A-level tourist attractions!" This message went viral on social media platforms last winter, drawing widespread attention from consumers. In order to sustain a robust tourism market in both the off-season and the peak season, Xizang has been carrying out the "Winter Tour in Xizang" campaign for seven consecutive years, introducing a series of "incentive, subsidy, and benefit" policies to attract more tourists.

In order to promote the transformation of the tourism industry from "a single destination and a single-season model" to an "all-region and all-season pattern," Xizang has emphasized regional coordination, focusing on enhancing the level of cultural and tourism public services along major access routes such as National Highway G318 and continuously improving tourists' travel experiences. Additionally, it has highlighted the development of distinctive and high-quality attractions, creating boutique tourism routes such as the "World's-Roof-Style Scenic Self-Drive Route along the Yunnan-Xizang Highway," "City Walk in Lhasa," and the "Most Beautiful Heavenly Lake Tour," as well as organizing events like "Winter Tour in Xizang" to continually enrich product offerings.

Adhering to the principle of promoting tourism through culture and enhancing culture through tourism, Xizang is accelerating its efforts to build a more open, inclusive, and vibrant world tourism destination. This year, Xizang will deeply implement the project of cultivating characteristic cultural and tourism industries, create a number of boutique scenic spots, cultural and tourism corridors, and renowned tourism counties, and promote in-depth integration of tourism with sports, agriculture, transportation, commerce, and other fields. By the end of this year, Xizang aims to achieve a growth of over 20% in cultural industry output value, as well as increases of over 17% in the number of domestic and foreign tourists received and over 16% in total tourism expenditure.

Reporter: people.cn

Translator: Zhi Xinghua

Review: Hu Rongguo, Dong Xiuli