Tibet to hold 3rd tourism, culture expo

Tibet will hold its third tourism and culture expo on Sept. 10 to 16 in the regional capital Lhasa.

About 1,500 officials, experts and representatives will attend the Third China Tibet Tourism and Culture Expo, said Wang Wenpei, deputy head of the expo organizing committee on Wednesday at a press conference.

The expo includes forums on the opportunities resulting from the Belt and Road initiative, culture, the medical industry and water resource development, said the official.

"The expo will help make Tibet's distinctive industries stronger," said Wang.

Tourism is a pillar industry in Tibet Autonomous Region, with revenue accounting for over 20 percent of the region's GDP.

More than 6.8 million tourists visited Tibet in the first half of 2016, up 31.9 percent year on year, with tourism revenue up 32.1 percent to reach 7 billion yuan (1.05 billion U.S. dollars), according to the regional tourism development commission.