During the recent Labor Day Holiday, the number of visitors to Xizang saw a staggering growth of over 130% compared to the same period in 2019.

 

Despite boasting the second-largest land area in China, many of Xizang's captivating natural wonders remained untouched and unknown to travelers for a long time.

 

One of the main reasons for this is that tourists weren't able to explore these areas due to the lack of transport infrastructure. However, significant improvements have been made over the years.

 

Frank Sieren from Germany is visiting Xizang for the second time. He says travelling around the plateau is very different from the last time.

 

"There is a tremendous change in infrastructure, in railway infrastructure, but also in highways, roads. When I came up here 20 years ago, I came up by car and it was mostly dirt roads I had to go. Now this changed completely. It's a in a line with many areas in China where I'm very much surprised about the infrastructure."

 

With the transport network expanding and reaching out to more regions in Xizang, villages that used to be isolated from the outside world can also benefit from the thriving tourism sector.

 

One of the emerging popular destinations is Zhaxigang Village, about 80 kilometers away from the city of Linzhi.

 

Traditionally, agriculture and animal husbandry served as the main source of income for the locals, but as the village embraces the thriving tourism business, Huang Shan with the village committee says many villagers have become entrepreneurs.

 

"Families here used to make just a few thousand yuan a month from farming and raising animals. But tourism changed everything. Our town is all about tourism, that means we have opportunities like running guesthouses, restaurants, and selling tickets to scenic spots. People here can make around 10,000 to 20,000 yuan as a regular income."

 

Two years ago, villager Tsering Tashi constructed a new building, with 33 hotel rooms and a restaurant on the third floor. Last year, the business brought his family 530,000 yuan, or 75,000 US dollars. He says this is largely due to the improving infrastructure in the village.

 

 

 

"Roads, sanitation, everything is a lot better now. We didn't have cement roads in the past, it was all dirt roads, which was very inconvenient for people to travel around. Now all households are connected with modern roads, tap water and electricity, everything is a lot more convenient now."

 

Zhaxigang is one of the villages that benefitted from the growing influx of travelers, thanks to the successful branding of the Lulang International Tourism Town.

 

 

 

Between 2012 and 2017, the government of Guangdong province invested 1.3 billion yuan into the development of the tourism town and encouraged another 2.5 billion yuan of social capital from national companies such as Evergrande and the Poly Group.

 

Such projects are common in China, where governments from more developed regions lead investment initiatives in less developed areas.

 

Fijian Ambassador to China Manasa Tagicakibau says this shows the Chinese government's dedication to achieving common prosperity for everyone.

 

"It is like 50 years ago, it was almost impossible to reach them. Given that the mountainous trains and crossing the rivers, the high altitude. But the government of China did not turn a blind eye to them, continues to reach out and try to work out things that can help the people of Tibet to leave themselves up and to enjoy a better life than what they used to enjoy before."

 

Life in Zhaxigang Village has become a lot different ever since tourism took off, and the village committee hopes to keep that positive momentum.

 

When the travel season ends in October each year, the villagers would visit other popular tourist cities to learn from their success.

 

The committee is also launching annual festivals to showcase local customs like horse-riding and archery to attract even more tourists to the village.