Tibetan officials optimistic about economy in 2009

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2009-02-24 15:02

Transfer payments amounted to almost 160 billion yuan from 1959 to 2007Wu said, adding the local budget was in deficit before 1989.

Ai Juntao, deputy director of the regional financial department, expressed concern that tourism in Tibet would continue to be affected as "the number of European and American tourists will shrink due to the financial crisis, and the pillar industry has suffered significantly from the Lhasa riot."

Statistics show 4.02 million tourists came to Tibet in 2007, with the sector's revenue reaching 4.85 billion yuan, about 14.2 percent of the regional GDP. However, the number of tourists and revenue fell about 44 percent and 53 percent, respectively, in 2008.

Tibet hoped to receive 3 million tourists this year.

There are two favorable factors, Ai said. One is more visits by Tibetans to "inland" for business, education or sightseeing via the Qinghai-Tibet Railway.

Before the rail link opened in 2006, Ai said, only a small number of Tibetans went to other parts of China.

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