Cheaper fares for travelers to Tibet

Source: Xinhua  |   2008-10-19  |     NEWSPAPER EDITION

TIBET has slashed ticket prices in an effort to boost tourism this winter and offset the impact of the Lhasa riot that took place in March.

It is the first time in history that Tibet has reduced admission prices at nearly all its tourist sites, said Wang Songping, deputy director of Tibet Tourism Bureau.

Reduced prices will be effective between October 20 and April 20. Admission fees at most major sightseeing spots will be reduced by half.

The Tashilhunpo and Palkor monasteries in Xigaze will cut ticket prices by 20 percent. It will still cost 100 yuan (US$14.70) to get in to the world-famous Potala Palace in Lhasa, the regional capital. Plans to raise the price to 200 yuan next February have been ditched.

In the first half of the year, 340,000 people visited Tibet, down 69 percent from the same period last year.

Tourism almost came to a standstill after a riot broke out on March 14 when 18 civilians and one policeman were killed, businesses looted and buildings and vehicles torched.