LHASA, April 6 -- The number of the tourists traveling to Tibet Autonomous Region increased by over 11 percent year on year in the first three month of this year, local authorities said on Sunday.

Some 486,600 tourists went to the plateau region from the start of January to the end of March, an increase of 11.4 percent from the same period last year, the regional tourism bureau said in a statement.

The tourists, from both home and abroad, brought Tibet 503 million yuan (80.98 million U.S. dollars)in tourism income, up 12.53 percent year on year, it added.

The bureau attributed the rosy start to an increasing variety of Tibetan cultural attractions, as well as winter tourism packages.

As spring comes and relieves the plateau from coldness, the region is expected to see more tourists visiting holy lakes, Mount Qomolangma or the peach flowers in blossom in the forests of southeast Tibet.

In addition, under a tourism cooperation agreement reached by Tibet and its neighboring province of Sichuan in late March, the regions' tourism agencies have partnered to launch road trip packages taking in views of snow-covered mountains, lakes and valleys.

It means more tourists are expected to take road trips to the plateau by either driving by themselves or renting vehicles from the agencies.