Southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region received a record 208,300 tourists
from home and abroad during the week-long National Day holiday that started
on Oct.1, an eight-percent rise over the same period of last year, the
regional tourism administration said.

The figure makes up nearly a quarter of the total reported between January
and August of this year.

Some 114,100 tourists spent at least one night in Tibet, while the remaining
94,200 stayed there for just a day, according to the administration.

Statistics provided by the administration show the "golden week " holiday
brought about 69.45 million yuan (US$8.4 million) in tourism income into the
autonomous region, an 11-percent rise year-on-year.

This year Tibet features the Mount Qomolangma Cultural Festival in Xigaze,
at the foot of the world's highest peak (also called Mount Everest), as well
as hikes and bicycle tours to the various sites of cultural and historical
interests in the autonomous region.

Unique highland landscapes, folklore and the holy and mysterious lamaseries
of Tibetan Buddhism all add to the appeal of the Tibet Autonomous Region,
which received 870,000 domestic and overseas tourists in the first eight
months of this year, up 98 percent from the same period last year.

According to the regional tourism administration, Tibet has made marked
achievements in construction of highways leading to tourist resorts and
hotels in scenic areas.

Covering more than 1.2 million square kilometers, or one-eighth of China's
total land area, Tibet is located in the southwestern part of the
Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. The region, often called the " roof of the world,"
has an average elevation of more than 4,000 meters.

The region boasts many high snow-capped mountains, including the Mount
Qomolangma. It is home to 1,500 lakes as well as vast pastures and a wide
variety of wild animals and plants. Of its total population of 2.62 million,
92.2 percent are Tibetans.