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LAST April， I attended a lecture on Tibet’s tourism culture and economic development by Professor Thubten Kredrup at the University of Tibet. I recently met him again at the Scientific Research Office of the university.
According to Thubten， the history of tourism in Tibet is one of the facets of China’s social and economic development that has taken place in the past 30 years of reform and opening-up. “With the revival of the traditional Tibetan culture sector， development of more tourism products， and the increasing number of visitors to the region – more than 10 million annually – Tibetan culture has spread wide and far，” Thubten said.
Eyewitness to Change
In the late 1950s， Thubten’s parents arrived in Lhasa seeking refuge from turmoil in Jomda County of Qamdo Prefecture in eastern Tibet. Thubten’s father found a job in the logistics services of the People’s Liberation Army. Born in 1964， the young Thubten followed his parents as they moved from Lhasa back to Qamdo and on to Nyingchi in southeastern Tibet.
“I can’t remember how many primary schools I attended but I must have gone to almost every one throughout Qamdo and Nyingchi，” he said.
Before the peaceful liberation of Tibet， there was no modern education in the region. Until the 1970s and 1980s， many areas had only primary schools. “In primary school， I studied Tibetan. I did not learn Mandarin until I attended junior middle school in Pome County，” Thubten said. “At that time， there were few high schools and no such thing as the bilingual education that we see in high schools and higher education today.”
In austere times， Thubten found enjoyment playing basketball and dreamed of owning a pair of white sports shoes， which were difficult to come by. “At that time， each teacher was allocated two sticks of chalk per class. Sometimes the teacher would leave the chalk remnants behind. I would pocket them and cover my shoes in chalk to make them look like white trainers，” he recalled.
In 1982， Thubten was enrolled in the bridging course at Xianyang Tibetan College， and passed the entrance exam to Southwest China Normal University in Chongqing the next year. After graduating in 1988， Thubten had op-portunities to work in big cities such as Beijing and Chongqing but he chose to return to Tibet and took up a teaching post at the University of Tibet. He has been working there for over two decades， specializing in tourist economy. Opening-up to Tourism
As an expert in the field， Thubten， naturally， has a lot to say about Tibet’s tourism economy. “After the first National Conference on Work in Tibet in 1980， the spring breeze of reform and opening-up blew across the QinghaiTibet Plateau. It marked the birth of the tourism industry in Tibet. That year， Tibet received 1，059 foreign tourists，” he said. “In the 1980s， most tourists to Tibet were foreign travelers and researchers， 80 percent of them came from Europe and the United States.”
None of Thubten’s friends or teachers at university had been to Tibet. “At that time， China was poor and the people’s income was low. Besides， far-flung Tibet was not easy to reach； tourists were put off by the high travel costs and the long days on the road. They preferred to visit other parts of China that were more accessible and cheaper.” Having minimal communication with the outside world at that time， Tibetan people had no awareness of developing tourism.
The success of the reform and openingup policy significantly elevated local incomes and the number of visitors to Tibet increased exponentially. In 2004， Tibet received 1.22 million visitors from the rest of China and abroad， and the number skyrocketed to 12.91 million in 2013.
“The 1.22 million visitors in 2004 is astronomical compared with the 2，000-odd tourists in the early 1980s. The figure of nearly 13 million in 2013 is another incredible leap，” said Thubten. The opening of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway in 2006， and former Chinese President Hu Jintao’s 2010 proposition to make Tibet a “significant global tourist destination”have considerably promoted the local tourism industry.
Speaking of the impact of the exponential growth in tourist numbers on traditional Tibetan culture， Thubten did not think it had been too severe. Tibetan people have always been open-minded. Testimony to its inclusiveness is Tibetan Buddhism， which blends influences from India， Nepal and of Han people.
Thubten is not worried about the preservation and inheritance of Tibetan culture. The influx of visitors has introduced many modern amenities and new lifestyle choices to the people. They may influence， to some extent， the material aspect of local life， but will not change the culture and beliefs of the Tibetans.“Instead， the traditional culture and beliefs of the Tibetan people will continue to showcase its allure， influencing millions of visitors from other parts of China and abroad，” Thubten said. Create More Local Tourism Brands
Tibet’s high-altitude geography makes the region unfit for various modern industries. “The direction of Tibet’s economic development should be tourism-led，” said Thubten.
It is widely recognized that the development of the tourism service industry can generate rapid profits. Tibet has a population of 3.12 million and its annual visitors， now standing at around 13 million， have contributed substantially to the development of the local service sector. “Two thirds of local people are farmers and herdsmen – how can they have a piece of the tourism pie？ We have to consider this，” Thubten explained.
According to him， Tibet should strive to develop in-depth travel， not cursory sightseeing. In order to establish Tibet as a global tourist destination， besides the renowned sites such as Mount Qomolangma， the Potala Palace and Jokhang Monastery， the tourism service industry should promote other attractions in the region， such as its rural and folk culture， thereby creating more tourism brands.
The 12th Five-year Plan sets the goal for Tibet to increase its annual tourists to 15 million in 2015， so achieving a tourist income of RMB 15 billion.
Using the platform of various tourism forums and lectures， Thubten hopes to drive home the point that culture is the engine for the development of tourism.“To build a world-class tourist destination， we need solid cultural foundations.”
Since 2005， Lhasa’s modern architecture has been fronted in a traditional Tibetan style. “With a history of over 1，300 years and an area of 1.33 square kilometers， the old city of Lhasa attracts numerous tourists and must be preserved. It is important to encourage awareness among the city’s residents that they are sitting on a nest egg – their homes can make them a living，” Thubten said.
In recent years， Princess Wencheng， a large-scale theater production， has demonstrated the importance of highlighting culture in tourism development. The show employs over 500 local farmers as extras and in the peak season tickets are hard to come by.
“Tourism has become a core economic sector in Tibet and a main source of growth in residents’ income. Tibetan culture is the fountainhead of vigorous tourism development. We must strengthen preservation of our roots so as to pass on and develop traditional Tibetan culture via tourism，”Thubten said.
According to Thubten， the history of tourism in Tibet is one of the facets of China’s social and economic development that has taken place in the past 30 years of reform and opening-up. “With the revival of the traditional Tibetan culture sector， development of more tourism products， and the increasing number of visitors to the region – more than 10 million annually – Tibetan culture has spread wide and far，” Thubten said.
Eyewitness to Change
In the late 1950s， Thubten’s parents arrived in Lhasa seeking refuge from turmoil in Jomda County of Qamdo Prefecture in eastern Tibet. Thubten’s father found a job in the logistics services of the People’s Liberation Army. Born in 1964， the young Thubten followed his parents as they moved from Lhasa back to Qamdo and on to Nyingchi in southeastern Tibet.
“I can’t remember how many primary schools I attended but I must have gone to almost every one throughout Qamdo and Nyingchi，” he said.
Before the peaceful liberation of Tibet， there was no modern education in the region. Until the 1970s and 1980s， many areas had only primary schools. “In primary school， I studied Tibetan. I did not learn Mandarin until I attended junior middle school in Pome County，” Thubten said. “At that time， there were few high schools and no such thing as the bilingual education that we see in high schools and higher education today.”
In austere times， Thubten found enjoyment playing basketball and dreamed of owning a pair of white sports shoes， which were difficult to come by. “At that time， each teacher was allocated two sticks of chalk per class. Sometimes the teacher would leave the chalk remnants behind. I would pocket them and cover my shoes in chalk to make them look like white trainers，” he recalled.
In 1982， Thubten was enrolled in the bridging course at Xianyang Tibetan College， and passed the entrance exam to Southwest China Normal University in Chongqing the next year. After graduating in 1988， Thubten had op-portunities to work in big cities such as Beijing and Chongqing but he chose to return to Tibet and took up a teaching post at the University of Tibet. He has been working there for over two decades， specializing in tourist economy. Opening-up to Tourism
As an expert in the field， Thubten， naturally， has a lot to say about Tibet’s tourism economy. “After the first National Conference on Work in Tibet in 1980， the spring breeze of reform and opening-up blew across the QinghaiTibet Plateau. It marked the birth of the tourism industry in Tibet. That year， Tibet received 1，059 foreign tourists，” he said. “In the 1980s， most tourists to Tibet were foreign travelers and researchers， 80 percent of them came from Europe and the United States.”
None of Thubten’s friends or teachers at university had been to Tibet. “At that time， China was poor and the people’s income was low. Besides， far-flung Tibet was not easy to reach； tourists were put off by the high travel costs and the long days on the road. They preferred to visit other parts of China that were more accessible and cheaper.” Having minimal communication with the outside world at that time， Tibetan people had no awareness of developing tourism.
The success of the reform and openingup policy significantly elevated local incomes and the number of visitors to Tibet increased exponentially. In 2004， Tibet received 1.22 million visitors from the rest of China and abroad， and the number skyrocketed to 12.91 million in 2013.
“The 1.22 million visitors in 2004 is astronomical compared with the 2，000-odd tourists in the early 1980s. The figure of nearly 13 million in 2013 is another incredible leap，” said Thubten. The opening of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway in 2006， and former Chinese President Hu Jintao’s 2010 proposition to make Tibet a “significant global tourist destination”have considerably promoted the local tourism industry.
Speaking of the impact of the exponential growth in tourist numbers on traditional Tibetan culture， Thubten did not think it had been too severe. Tibetan people have always been open-minded. Testimony to its inclusiveness is Tibetan Buddhism， which blends influences from India， Nepal and of Han people.
Thubten is not worried about the preservation and inheritance of Tibetan culture. The influx of visitors has introduced many modern amenities and new lifestyle choices to the people. They may influence， to some extent， the material aspect of local life， but will not change the culture and beliefs of the Tibetans.“Instead， the traditional culture and beliefs of the Tibetan people will continue to showcase its allure， influencing millions of visitors from other parts of China and abroad，” Thubten said. Create More Local Tourism Brands
Tibet’s high-altitude geography makes the region unfit for various modern industries. “The direction of Tibet’s economic development should be tourism-led，” said Thubten.
It is widely recognized that the development of the tourism service industry can generate rapid profits. Tibet has a population of 3.12 million and its annual visitors， now standing at around 13 million， have contributed substantially to the development of the local service sector. “Two thirds of local people are farmers and herdsmen – how can they have a piece of the tourism pie？ We have to consider this，” Thubten explained.
According to him， Tibet should strive to develop in-depth travel， not cursory sightseeing. In order to establish Tibet as a global tourist destination， besides the renowned sites such as Mount Qomolangma， the Potala Palace and Jokhang Monastery， the tourism service industry should promote other attractions in the region， such as its rural and folk culture， thereby creating more tourism brands.
The 12th Five-year Plan sets the goal for Tibet to increase its annual tourists to 15 million in 2015， so achieving a tourist income of RMB 15 billion.
Using the platform of various tourism forums and lectures， Thubten hopes to drive home the point that culture is the engine for the development of tourism.“To build a world-class tourist destination， we need solid cultural foundations.”
Since 2005， Lhasa’s modern architecture has been fronted in a traditional Tibetan style. “With a history of over 1，300 years and an area of 1.33 square kilometers， the old city of Lhasa attracts numerous tourists and must be preserved. It is important to encourage awareness among the city’s residents that they are sitting on a nest egg – their homes can make them a living，” Thubten said.
In recent years， Princess Wencheng， a large-scale theater production， has demonstrated the importance of highlighting culture in tourism development. The show employs over 500 local farmers as extras and in the peak season tickets are hard to come by.
“Tourism has become a core economic sector in Tibet and a main source of growth in residents’ income. Tibetan culture is the fountainhead of vigorous tourism development. We must strengthen preservation of our roots so as to pass on and develop traditional Tibetan culture via tourism，”Thubten said.