Aug. 29, 2017 -- The 2nd Mt. Qomolangma Hiking Event, which lasted for eight days, concluded a few days ago at Garma valley  in Tingri County, southwest China's Tibet. The event attracted over a hundred hiking enthusiasts from around China and helped local villagers earn hundreds of thousands of US dollars in income.

Holding outdoor athletic tourism events is an important way of poverty alleviation in Tingri. Wang Shen, head of the county, said, "Choedang Township, which is one of the places we held this year's hiking event, has more than 6,000 people, about half of which are in poverty. Participating in athletic tourism and providing tourists with yak rental services are important means for villagers to earn more money."

This year's hiking event hired more than 10 local nomadic guides, 20 yak herders, and over 60 yaks. At the same time, to be a local guide through training in outdoor survival knowledge and skills also provides a new career direction for local nomads.

Garma Valley is called Tibet's "Shangri-La". The scenic area is rich in natural resources and is a world-class, transnational tourism circuit around Mt. Qomolangma, or Mt. Everest in the West.