Authorities have published a long-term plan for the tourism
industry's sustainable development on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau,
which aims to retain the same blue-sky and plateau views even after
years of development.
The scheme (2006-20) plans to develop the region along the
Qinghai-Tibet Railway into a top-quality tourist destination, which
it is hoped will attract some 3 million tourists each year, staying
for an average of seven to 12 days by 2020.
But tourism administrators say the development should not be
achieved at the cost of the environment, said Yang Kaizhong, an
economist and professor with Peking University who heads the
planning team, supported by the China National Tourism
Administration.
As a preventive move, Yang's team has defined "no entry", "entry
limit", "free entry" and "encouraged entry" sections in the
region.
"Ten natural reserves in the region, such as the core region of
Hoh Xil national nature reserve, will be barred from any entry or
tourism development," he said, adding that areas where human
landscape resources are not opened are also banned.
Unduplicable scenic spots like the Potala Palace and Tar
Lamasery are areas where limits will be set for tourist entry, he
said.
But entry into major towns, such as Lhasa, Nagqu, Golmud and
Xining, and some scenic spots that are capable of receiving
unlimited numbers of tourists, such as the formal research base of
China's first atomic bomb, are encouraged.
It is because the big towns will shoulder the task of providing
accommodation, leisure and shopping places for tourists, Yang
said.
It is expected 85,100 hotel rooms will be needed along the
railway by 2020, most of which should be located in the towns.
"But we do not encourage building high towers and star-rated
hotels there. It is better to have more family hotels, small-scale
inns and non-permanent facilities with strong local cultural and
architectural features in the community," he said.
The plan also suggests setting up sewage treatment works in
Xining, Delingha and Golmud in Qinghai, and Lhasa and Nagqu in
Tibet, and building large-scale waste-disposal plants in Xining,
Golmud and Lhasa, so that sewage and rubbish left by tourists and
produced by railway passengers can be disposed of, he said.
In addition to environmental protection, the plan is also
exploring new spring and winter scenic spots, aiming to extend the
sightseeing period around the plateau from the current six months
(May-October) to more than eight months after 2020.
Tourists are also expected to benefit from it by having better
planned itineraries.
The planning work started in 2006, as the Qinghai-Tibet Railway
is forecast to stimulate tourist growth to the plateau as a more
affordable and convenient means of transport.
(China Daily July 20 2007)
