The Qinghai-Tibet Railway on the "roof of the world" has
transported more than 70,000 passengers to Lhasa, capital of Tibet
Autonomous Region, since it opened to traffic on July 1, a railway
official said on Wednesday.
Chief Coordinator Zhang Xiqing of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway
company told a press conference held Wednesday that from July 1 to
31, trains departing from Beijing, Chongqing, Chengdu, Lanzhou and
Xi'ning cities carried 71,460 passengers to Lhasa, and brought back
73,240.
Over the past month, tourists have filled 97 percent of seats on
trains to Lhasa every day, said Zhang.
Li Jincheng, vice governor of Qinghai, told the press that the
opening of Qinghai-Tibet Railway had boosted tourism development in
Qinghai Province on the northeastern part of the Qinghai-Tibet
Plateau.
A total of 1.63 million tourists visited Qinghai Province in the
past month, 34 percent more than the figure for the same period
last year, generating tourism revenue of 818 million yuan (about
US$1.02 million).
(Xinhua News Agency August 3, 2006)