Figures from the local tourism bureau show that, by the end of October, 8.4 million visitors traveled to Tibet this year, up 24.5percent over the same period last year. Some 7.1 million were frominland China and 1.3 million from overseas, up 28.8 percent and 4.6 percent respectively.

These primarily inland tourists have brought a boon to local tourism with an increase of 556 million yuan (67.8 million US dollars) to local income by the end of October, up 36 percent overthe same period last year. Daily per capita consumption has risen to 446 yuan (54 US dollars), up 17 percent.

Most of the tourists were from coastal or developed areas like Beijing, Shanghai or Guangdong Province in the south.

Tibet's tourists mostly came from overseas when the industry began developing in 1980. Since the mid 1990s, the number of inland tourists has increased remarkably as the region promoted domestic travel.

(Xinhua News Agency November 21, 2002)