China
Tibet becomes hot destination
Source: CCTV.com | 05-01-2007 09:54
Special Report: May Day "Golden Week"The May Day holiday has caught Tibet off guard in a good way. Airplane and railway tickets to Lhasa for the holiday have been completely sold out.
Travel agencies say they didn't expect such a flood of interest. However, the Tibet tour packages have sold like hot cakes.
Wang Anhua, asst. GM of China Travel International, said "We thought this year's May Day golden week will not be so busy. However, the interest for Tibet has been huge. There's not enough railway tickets to meet such huge demand. Meanwhile in terms of airplane tickets even full-priced tickets to Tibet have been completely sold out."
However, many tourists are still not willing to give up. Travel agencies have resorted to booking more convoluted itineraries. For example, a tourist from Beijing will first have to fly to Chengdu or Chongqing, before making a second connection to Lhasa.
Other cities like Xi'an are also witnessing a flood of tourists. Travel agencies say they're worried that limited tickets to the sights in Tibet cannot satisfy so many tourists. Transportation and accommodation are also in short supply and are a concern.
Travel agencies are urging travellers, especially those travelling alone, to book their hotels and tickets to the tourist sights, ahead of time.
Editor:Du Xiaodan
