Tibet's tourism industry makes up an increasing share of the region's revenue. CCTV's reporter Martina Fuchs travelled to find out how tourism is changing people's lives on the Tibetan Plateau - the highest, largest and flattest plateau in the world.

This area of Tibet is called the "Switzerland of the East."

The folklore village of Tashigang has only about 60 inhabitants, and it's a 2-hour car ride through the Himalayan mountains from the larger city of Nyingchi.

Badeng runs a guest house that offers 20 cozy beds to tourists from near and far who are eager to breathe some fresh air at almost 4,000 meters above sea level.

Last year, he made an income of about 100,000 yuan or roughly 16,000 US dollars. But Badeng says this year guest numbers during the June to September high season are lower due to the April earthquake that devastated Nepal and damaged much of Tibet.

Tibet saw a record number of visitors in 2014. Government figures show that 15.53 million international and domestic travelers visited the region, up 20 percent from the previous year.

The region is expected to welcome 17 million tourists in 2015. And authorities are vowing to boost hospitality services and develop more rural family-run inns just like Badeng's.

It might seem like time is standing still here, on the Roof of the World, around 5,000 metres above sea level. But Tibet, which is twice the size of France, saw a double-digit growth rate last year.

Tibet's economic growth hit 12 percent in 2014, one of the fastest rates in China. Tourism played a big part, accounting for over 20 percent of the region's gross domestic product.

But there's still a long way to go.

Tibet still has more than 320,000 people living under the national poverty line of 2,300 yuan per year, about 10 percent of the regional population.

The town is known for its fortress and located close to the Friendship Highway which connects Nepal with Tibet.

The hotel owner tells me that foreign tourists account for about 60% of guests, with many staying overnight as they travel between Tibet and Nepal.

But Gyantse is also suffering from the April earthquake.