Tibet launches seven "red tourism" routes

LHASA, April 25 (Xinhua) -- China's Tibet Autonomous Region has launched seven "red tourism" routes, covering historical sites of revolutionary significance, to celebrate its 70th anniversary of peaceful liberation.

The new tourist routes, combining the region's patriotic education bases, classic "red tourism" scenic spots and rural tourist attractions, and capitalizing on Tibet's unique natural and cultural resources, aim to provide a high-quality tourism experience for visitors, according to the regional department of tourism development.

The first tours on such routes will be launched on China Tourism Day, which falls on May 19 each year.

Against the backdrop of rural vitalization, promoting the integrated development of "red tourism" and rural tourism will provide support for consolidating the achievements of poverty alleviation and provide more platforms for people to increase their income, said Wang Songping, director of the department.

Data showed that during the 13th Five-Year Plan period (2016-2020), Tibet received more than 157.6 million tourists from home and abroad, generating nearly 212.6 billion yuan (32.7 billion U.S. dollars) in tourism income.