China is hoping to double the number of tourists visiting the remote region of Tibet by 2015, bringing the number of visitors to about 15 million per year.
"Tibet will focus on building (itself as) an important world tourism destination," reported Xinhua, citing the Tibetan government.
The government hopes to see the industry bringing in about $2.42 million a year by 2015, with an increase in tourism that will create about 300,000 jobs in the impoverished region.
While Xinhua news agency reports that the Chinese government wants Tibetans to "get rich from tourism" and will be making efforts to promote tourism to the rural areas populated by native Tibetans, people native to the region are doubtful, claiming that the investments only benefit the Han Chinese immigrants and state-operated businesses, leaving Tibetans out of the economic growth.
With a new rail connection to Lhasa and the introduction of large-scale mining projects, Tibet’s economy has grown more quickly than the rest of China. However the rapid growth has also brought large numbers of immigrants to a region already troubled by ethnic tension.