Currently, long-queue can be seen in front of the Jokhang Temple and tickets to the Potala Palace are difficult to get as Tibet has entered the tourism peak season. According to the general estimate, till June Tibet may receive more than 1.5 million tourists, Wang Songping, deputy director of Tibet Tourism Bureau said.

With the opening of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway in July 2006, Tibet tourism industry enters into a fast developing period. In 2007, Tibet made a new record by receiving 4.02 million tourists and realizing 4.8 billion yuan tourism revenue. But, the tourism industry was heavily influenced by the March 14 Lhasa riot in 2008.

Since Tibet soon resumed its social order and quieted down the riot, Tibet has received 2.06 million tourists after June 25, 2008.

In order to renew its tourism industry, Tibet launched large-scale promotion activities since the end of 2008. This year, Tibet embraces its tourism peak again. Statistics show that from January to May, Tibet has welcomed over 22,264 inbound tourists with an increase of 2.8 times and embraced 697,973 inland tourists, up by 1.8 times. Tibet gained the total tourism revenue of 436.7 million yuan in the first five months of 2009, a doubled number comparing with that of the same period in 2008.

"It is reasonable for us to believe that this year, Tibet's tourism industry will approach or even exceed the historical highest level in 2007, " said Wang Songping.