In Lhasa, visitor numbers swell for Losar New Year

Lhasa, Tibet autonomous region, received more than 261,000 domestic and overseas tourist visits during the seven-day Tibetan Losar New Year holiday, with an increase of 18 percent year-on-year, Lhasa Daily reported.

The Losar New Year is one of the most important festivals for Tibetans. People who work in the government sector were given a seven-day holiday from Feb 20 to 26, but the celebrations can last for 15 days in rural areas.

During the period, Lhasa took in tourism revenues of more than 183 million yuan ($26.7 million), up 17.31 percent year-on-year, according to the city's tourism development bureau.

"Of the total tourists, 193,000 chose a one-day trip tour, and more than 68,000 spent nights in Lhasa," Ngakwang Trinley, an official of the bureau, was quoted as saying by Lhasa Daily.

"The average occupancy rate of hotels was close to 32 percent, up 4 percentage points from a year earlier," he said.