Beijing: China's state media warned today that simmering unrest in Tibet and a resulting security clampdown looked set to hit the Himalayan region's nascent tourist boom this summer.

"Lhasa, Tibet's regional capital, is playing down expectations for the upcoming summer tourist season and is instead looking to lure more domestic travellers," Xinhua news agency quoted Tibetan tourist authorities as saying.

"The summer season between May 1 and October 31 is the best travel time for the holy city of Lhasa, known for its marvellous plateau spectacle and Tibetan ethnic culture," it said.

However, it added dryly, "Tourists visiting the city these days will find that they needn't stand in line for the usually hard-to-get tickets for popular attractions."

Tibet remains under tight security after anti-China rioting erupted in Lhasa on March 14, with the unrest spreading across huge areas of China with Tibetan populations.

Foreigners have since been banned from the province. The government said they would be allowed back from May 1 but officials last week declined to confirm that date amid reports by a pro-Tibet rights group that it would be postponed amid lingering tension.

The government had reported massive increases in the number of tourists, both foreign and domestic, to Tibet since the opening of a controversial railway across the Tibetan Plateau in mid-2006 increased access to the remote region.

More than four million tourists visited last year, up 64 per cent from the year earlier, according to official figures.
Source : PTI