ROMANTIC TOURISM IN TIBET

Wine and dine your lover in Tibet!

TIBET SPECS

English Name: TibetChinese Name: 西藏 (xī zàng)Abbreviation: 藏 (Zang)Admin. Type: Autonomous RegionCapital: LhasaLocation: 26°50' to 36°53' N, 78°25' to 99°06' EArea: 1,228,400 km² (474,288 mi²)Population (2010): 3,002,166

TIBET IN A NUTSHELL

MORE ABOUT TIBET

One of the most romantic tourist destinations in the world, thanks

to its spectacular Himalayan scenery, including Mount Everest, and

a peaceful Buddhist culture personified by the Dalai Lama

Tibet has been long known to offer some of the most breathtaking

views and elegant wedding venues in the world!

“Tibet is the holy place attracting numerous visitors from all over

the world! Many people insist on having their wedding in Tibet

while some others say that Tibet is the trip of a lifetime.”

(Chinatouristmaps.com)

IMAGINE YOURSELF HERE

CURRENT SITUATION

Tibetan Uprising in 2008• Mass protests throughout the Tibetan plateau took place in the spring of

2008 against Chinese occupation• Sparked by China’s increasing stranglehold over all forms of Tibetan life• Protests were brutally suppressed by the Chinese authorities and many

protesters were killed by security forces

Changes Since Prostests• Restrictions on travel to many parts of Tibet for both journalists and tourists• Freedom of movement is restricted and communication services can be

curtailed• Heavy military presence

Restrictions may change dramatically and without prior warning• China banned tourists from entering Tibet in June and July 2011 as it marked

the 60 -year anniversary of its occupation.

From: Free Tibet

From: China Tibet Online

A FEW STATS

Tibet posted a record of high number of tourists in the first eight months of

this year. Tibet has received as many as 6.21 million tourists in the past eight

months, up 22.1 percent year-on-year, according to the Tibet Tourism Bureau.

The tourism sector also posted a 42.7 percent jump in revenue between

January and August to 6.34 billion yuan, thanks to the soaring tourist numbers

Festival tourism has witnessed a breakthrough this year, becoming a booster

of the regional tourism industry• For example, a total of 906,400 tourists visited Tibet during the seven-day

Shoton Festival alone, bringing a total revenue of 266 million yuan, an increase of 15.01 percent and 8.21 percent respectively year-on-year.

QINGHAI-TIBET RAILWAY

Opened on July 1, 2006

1,956-km-long

The first to reach China's

interior from the Tibet

Autonomous Region

Tibet tourism development

was boosted markedly due to

the increased accessibility

and affordability

QINGHAI-TIBET RAILWAY

China claims that the railway will promote the preservation and

development of the Tibetan culture to cater to an influx of tourists looking

for unique cultural experiences

Enables a beneficial interaction between Tibet's culture and other

cultures

As most tourists to Tibet are interested in the sites and unique ethnic and

cultural spectacles, local government and citizens are being encouraged to

further develop their culture

Local citizen will have easy access to information and cultures from the

outside world with the development of tourism

WEDDING TOURISM

Many business opportunities

in "Tibetan weddings" are found

by local travel agencies

Tourists attracted to Tibet for

Tibetan style wedding• Bride and bridesgroom wear

Tibetan wedding dresses• Friends and family are

invited to give Hadas with “Tashi Delek” blessings

OPALA!

WEDDING TOURISM

“Wedding by the Holy Lake”• Many couples exchange wedding vows at Namtso

Lake• Highest lake in the world with altitude of 4,718

meters• Theme of "purity, eternity and compassion"• Tibet's Regional Tourism Bureau invited 99 couples

from all over the world to be married by the lake in September 2010 to promote wedding and honeymoon tourism• Weddings followed by romantic wed-in trip, covering

some ten scenic spots• Activities such as the Tibetan-style wedding ceremony, a

bonfire Guozhuang(a Tibetan group dance) Party, and environment-friendly travel

WEDDING PARTY TOUR!

Day 01: FLY KATHMANDU TO LHASA GANGAR

AIRPORT

Days 02 & 03: SHOPPING

Day 04: INVITE THE SINGERS

Day 05 & 06: SIGHTSEEING

Day 07: DRIVE TO AIRPORT

POSITIVE TOURISM IMPACTS

Tibet Environment Protection Movement

Mixing of cultures• Tourism provides a window to the outside world for Tibetans and a first

step towards a more open policy• Rural villages build holiday inns and Tibetan-style hotels for tourists,

helping push the Tibetan folk culture to market• A series of unique Tibetan cultural icon, such as Thangka, Tibetan

incense and Tibetan dinner, also play an important role in alluring more people to Tibet, which will also help spread Tibetan culture to the outside world

Showcases Tibetan landscapes

Creating jobs for locals• Locals needed as tour guides and other tourism management staff

NEGATIVE TOURISM IMPACTS

Empowers the Chinese• Money generated by tourism rarely stays in the Tibetan economy• Allows the Chinese government to promote its own approved and

sanitized image of Tibet

Takes away from exclusivity of weddings if everyone knows

about it• Romantic ideas of Tibet come partly from its remoteness and

mystery

Causes the watering-down of traditional Tibetan culture as

Westerners begin to increase the weddings help in Tibet

NEGATIVE IMPACTS (CONT.)

Cultural Degradation• Loss of traditional styles of clothing

• Locals wearing tourist clothing style• Traditional clothing being sold as souvenirs

• Changes in Buildings and Settlement Patterns• Majority of buildings destroyed by Chinese• Newer buildings influenced by Western culture

• Destruction of Religious Practices• Timing and content of religious ceremonies • catered to tourists’ viewing• Religious artifacts sold to tourists• Destruction of the sanctity of pilgrimages to• sacred mountains

WHY NOT?

Many people are against travelling to Tibet because they

believe tourism provides legitimacy to the Chinese

Government. It is also part of China's economic policy to

encourage tourism in Tibet, especially wealthy Westerners on

package group tours. Supporting the immigrant population of

7·5 million Chinese, in addition to the six million Tibetans, is

such a drain on Chinese resources that the Government

desperately needs tourism, and the hard currency it provides,

to boost the Tibetan economy.

STRATEGIES

Strategies:• Choose a local Tibetan travel agency.• Patronize local businesses.• Higher local guides, drivers, and wedding officiates.• Respect local wedding cultures and traditions.• Leave no trace (poop) while trekking.• Abide local laws• Do not hand out money or medicine.

POLICIES

Environmental conditions of Tibet

The strengthening of Ecological Construction and

environmental protection, and the building of

ecological security barrier of Tibet.

Attaching Importance to Environmental Protection

in Development, and Guaranteeing Clean Water and

Blue Sky I the Snow-covered Plateau.

PRESERVING TIBETAN CULTURE

Due in part to the importance of Tibetan culture to Tibet’s tourism

industry, China has realized the need to preserve the culture

China has invested more than 60 million yuan (9.38 million U.S

dollars) on the preservation and development of Tibet's intangible

cultural heritage (ICH) over the past six years

The Ministry of Culture has allocated 32.58 million yuan for the

preservation and inheritance of Tibet's ICH

The government of Tibet Autonomous Region also invested nearly

30 million yuan for its ICH

PRESERVING TIBETAN CULTURE

The Ministry of Culture said that it will continue to take other

measures over the next five years to further promote the

preservation of Tibet's ICH• Among the measures is a preferential policy toward Tibet's ICH

preservation in regard to financial support• The Ministry will help improve the living and working conditions

of ICH inheritors for their teaching and exchange activities

The ministry will also feature more Tibetan ICH items on the

nationwide promotion and exhibition activities in order to

introduce Tibetan culture to the entire country and the world