Tibet’s historic sites facing strain from domestic tourism boom

Name: Chinese archaeologists find sutras dating back to 618 during Tubo period in Tibet
Uploaded: 2021-06-21T06:15:23.000Z
Duration: 1 min 38 s
Description: Chinese archaeologists find sutras dating back to 618 during Tubo period in Tibet

Balancing tourist demand with protection of culturally significant landmarks is a challenge, local administrators say

Coronavirus and growing middle class contribute to rise in Chinese visitors, seemingly unconcerned by political controversies

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Chinese tourists in Tibetan dress pose for a photo near the Potala Palace in Lhasa. Photo: AP

Associated Press

Published: 2:15pm, 21 Jun 2021Updated: 11:10pm, 21 Jun 2021

Tourism is booming in Tibet as more Chinese travel in-country because of the coronavirus pandemic, posing risks to the region’s fragile environment and historic sites.

The number of visitors is limited to 5,000 per day at the Potala Palace, the former home of the Dalai Lamas. Balancing tourist demand with the need to minimise wear and tear on the massive hillside structure is a constant challenge, said Gonggar Tashi, the head administrator.

“The biggest challenge for us is the contradiction between the protection and usage of the cultural relics,” Tashi told journalists in Lhasa, the Tibetan capital.

He spoke during a government-organised tour that gave foreign journalists rare access to Tibet, but under the watchful eye of officials who set the agenda.

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Chinese archaeologists find sutras dating back to 618 during Tubo period in Tibet

The growing numbers of tourists appear unconcerned by political controversies long circling Tibet. China’s communist forces entered the region in 1951, and the Dalai Lama, Tibet’s traditional spiritual and political leader, fled to India during an abortive uprising against Chinese rule in 1959.

Millions of visitors go to Tibet every year, and 2020 saw a 12.6 per cent increase from the previous year, said Ge Lei, deputy director of the China Tourism Marketing Association. He expects the amount of visitors to roughly double by 2026.