eTN Asia, 9-15-2006
Even as there have been concerns pertaining to danger to the fragile high altitude ecosystem and intrusion into culture of Tibet, the Qinghai-Tibet railway is proving to be a roaring success.
The Qinghai-Tibet railway line has carried 272,700 passengers since the commencement of the service on July 1. About 40 percent of the passengers were tourists.
According to Jin Shixun, director of the Tibet Autonomous Regional Committee of Development and Reform the Qinghai-Tibet Railway has turned Tibet into one of the most coveted travel destinations in China.
“In July and August, Tibet played host to 913,000 domestic and overseas tourists and raked in 942 million yuan (about US$117.75 million) in revenue. Average occupancy for three-star and four-star hotels in Tibet over the past two months was 83.7 percent. Food and drink sales rose 55.7 percent from the same period last year to hit 127 million yuan,” reported local media.
Quashing any concerns, the spokesperson of Tibet Autonomous Regional Tourism Bureau said the initiative has proved to be “a win-win scenario whereby tourism and the protection of the environment works hand-in-hand.” Till June this year, getting to Lhasa meant either a long and hard road journey or an expensive air one.
Beijing authorities say the railroad link will open Tibet up for economic development and much needed tourism income to improve living conditions. It took Chinese engineers five years to complete the last section of the 1,142-km railway from Golmud to Lhasa. It is the first in the world to be built at such imposing heights; at one point, the train passes through a 16,640 feet pass.
