Tibetan official wants tourists to visit in winter

A tourism official in Tibet has said that he is keen for tourists to visit the area in winters.

Lhasa, Aug.28 : A tourism official in Tibet has said that he is keen for tourists to visit the area in winters.

Pagzho, the director of the Tibet Autonomous Regional Bureau of Tourism, said the misunderstanding that it was impossible to travel in Tibet during winter should be changed.

"I want people to know that Tibet is highly accessible to tourists in winter. I'm sure tourists could visit the Potala Palace three times a day if they came in winter, " The China Daily quoted pagzho, as saying.

The months of July to September are the prime time to visit Tibet where oxygen in the air becomes extremely scarce in cold weather in winter.

This summer, Lhasa, the regional capital, saw an average of 9,000 tourists daily, of whom almost 5,000 arrived by train, said Pagzho.

The Potala Palace, one of many scenic sites in Tibet, was a priority sight for many tourists.

However, the palace administrators restrict visitors to 2,300 a day and the palace is open from 7:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.

Tourists are forced to stand in long queues starting from early in the morning in order buy tickets to the Potala Palace.

Pagzho said tourism and cultural relic protection departments had been working together to attract more tourists to Tibet after October.

Located in the northwestern corner of Lhasa, the Potala Palace was built by Tibetan King Songtsa Gambo in the Seventh Century during the Tang Dynasty (618-907). The Dalai Lamas extended it during the 17th Century.

The 13-story palace features the essence of ancient Tibetan architectural art and was included on the list of world cultural heritage by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 1994.

ANI