(Xinhua)
Updated: 2007-09-29 14:17

NYINGCHI - Nyingchi in the southeast of China's Tibet Autonomous Region is becoming the first stop for domestic and overseas tourists to the mysterious autonomous region.

Nyingchi Prefecture [File photo]

With an average altitude of 3,100 meters, Nyingchi has received 199,159, or nearly one third of all the tourists to Tibet, and made a revenue of 79.66 million yuan (US$10.5 million) in the first five months of this year, 20 percent and 24 percent higher than the respective figures for the corresponding period last year, said local tourism bureau.

Zhang Yang, a tourist from Southwest China's Yunnan Province, believed that as Nyingchi's altitude is relatively lower than other parts of the region, "tourists can adapt to plateau condition gradually before touring to other areas of Tibet."

The Nyingchi airport, which began operation on September 1, 2006, has contributed a lot to the boost of tourism in the prefecture.

Surrounded by mountains with average altitude of more than 4,000 meters, the Nyingchi airport has handled 53,000 tourists to Tibet by September this year, despite its location that makes flights more difficult and restricts the airworthy time to only 100 days a year.

Altitudes of the other two civil airports in Tibet, located in the regional capital Lhasa and Xigaze, were measured at 3,650 meters and 3,836 meters respectively.

Nyingchi Prefecture, covering 117,000 square kilometers, is known for its humid and mild climate, charming scenery and rich natural resources.

During the upcoming week-long National Day holiday, Nyingchi is expected to receive about 350,000 tourists, according to local tourism bureau.