Tibet and Its Tourism Policy - Gustavo Gomez Arrieta
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Student projects/outputs No.023
Tibet and Its Tourism Policy
Gustavo Gomez Arrieta
MBA2008
China Europe International Business School, China
China Europe International Business School, China
699, Hong Feng Road
Pudong, Shanghai
People’s Republic of ChinaResearch Report
Gustavo Gomez Arrieta
BMT Scholarship CEIBS-IESE MBA
Exchange Student 2009
TIBET AND ITS TOURISM POLICY
Tourism has been a key element in the successful growth of many developing
countries and China is not the exception. As China grows, its internal and
external tourism grows also. But what is true is that China’s western provinces
have a different tourism policy that needs to be understood, specifically when
talking about Tibet Autonomous Region. Recent tourism in this western
province had put pressure on its attractions and on neighbor cities and so
limitations have been introduced.
Western China’s diverse environment and ethnic societies are central issues of
tourism in China. The astonishing natural beauty of the Tibetan Plateau, from
Sichuan to Nepal, attracts both domestic and international visitors. Tibet is also
home to a complex array of ethnic groups who are a key component of the
environmental niches and eco-systems they inhabit in, and interact with as an
integral part. 1 However, it is to say that while tourism can be a positive and
beneficial industry in local development, it can also be problematic in
preserving authentic visions of the landscape and authentic Tibetan culture.
Tibet Autonomous Region, located on southwest China, is enormously rich in
hydraulic, geothermal, solar and wind energy. Agriculture and livestock
breeding are its main economic activities, whose outputs of green pear, goat
and herbal medicine occupy important positions in China. Its industries of
1
www.tew.org, Jack Patrick Hayes, November 2006.handicraft, ore and agricultural machinery are developing fast also. 2 Its altitude of approximately 5,000 meters, hosts spectacular high mountains, glaciers, rivers, lakes, vast pastoral areas, monasteries, religious arts and interesting ethnic customs. Furthermore, Tibetan culture is very passionate; their religious rituals are very strong. Its main famous scenic spots and historic sites include the Potala Palace in Lhasa, the Drepung Monastery, the Sera Monastery, the Tashlunbu Monastery, the Yalong River in southern Tibet, and the Tombs of the Tibetan Kings. 3 However, Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) was once the country's most impoverished area due to poor weather conditions and shabby communications facilities; therefore, the “Roof of the world” (as Tibet is called) was always seen as a mystery until in 1984 it opened its doors to the foreigners, making tourism a new phenomenon that needed to be exploited. The following years roads and airports where built by the government so that millions of Chinese could go and visit their own country. On July 2006, a new railway line was built across the Tibetan Plateau from Qinghai, opening up its provincial capital Lhasa to more Chinese and foreign visitors. Qinghai-Tibet railway began passenger service, marking a remarkable milestone in China’s infrastructure. 4 Trough the time, the increasing traffic of visitors to Tibet has made it an attraction city for tourists. In 2006, after railway construction, it was reported a daily average of 4,400 tourists arriving by train in Lhasa during the first month, reaching 2.6 million in the year, almost double the previous year and roughly equivalent to the entire population of the TAR. Indeed, according to the People's Daily, 100,000 tourists visited the city of Lhasa in the seven-day 2 China Daily, September 4, 2009 3 China Daily, September 4, 2009 4 Tiber railway.net
National Day holiday of 2006 alone. 5 Landlocked Tibet has seen remarkable rise in outbound tourism in recent years thanks to its implementation of an opening-up policy, an official with local tourism bureau has said. 6 However, it is to say that the vast majority of these tourists are Chinese rather than foreign. Local tour operators estimate that Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou residents take half of high-end package tours. In fact, according to the TAR Tourism Bureau, domestic tourists generated 1.2 billion RMB out of 1.5 billion RMB of gross revenue. According to the People Daily, this dramatic explosion of domestic tourism to Tibet has resulted in part from the growing income levels and leisure time of the Chinese middle class. 7 And what has been the role of the Chinese government in the Tibet tourism growth? It is publicly known that the central government has been willing to develop the local economy to narrow the economic gap between Tibet and the rest of the country. Therefore, the Chinese government has been very involved in Tibet’s development with its specific plan for 2005-2020. Yes, the first Tibet tourism development plan which covers six regions in Tibet, with total area of 1.2 million square kilometers. According to the plan, Tibet will focus on developing inbound tourism and domestic tourism, in order to establish as an important tourism center between China and south Asia as well as a world famous high plateau tourism destination combining ecology and Tibetan culture. According to the plan, by 2020, Tibet will attract 1.12 million inbound travelers and 9.05 million domestic travelers. Tourism revenue will reach 22.8 billion RMB (2.8 billion US dollars), accounting for 18 percent of local GDP. 8 5 www.tew.org, Emily Yeah 2006. 6 People daily online, July 22, 2004. 7 People daily online, July 22, 2004. 8 China daily, Septmber 19, 2009.
The Chinese government's efforts to develop the growing Tibetan economy
have impressed the international community. According to the China Daily, one
of the leaders of the European Union, Mario Sepi, made a trip to Tibet and
came back with statements like “I saw the booming economy in Tibet with a
great amount of investment from the central government, especially in
infrastructure construction". He also stated he witnessed the strong will of the
people to work and participate in this economic growth. 9
However, the author Jack Patrick Hayes says in an article involving the Tibet
that as tourism booms in this western province, an increasing number of
creative ways of viewing the environment and history of northern Sichuan is
problematizing local Tibetan identity and authentic Tibetan and Qiang culture.
He explains that this is in part due to the increasing number of entrepreneurs
from outside the region, but also based on provincial and national plans to turn
the region into a tourist Mecca. Also, he is confident that the increase in
domestic tourism has begun to change the nature of the tourist service
industry and challenge the sustainability of tourism in the Lhasa area. 10
Therefore, an examination of the predominance of tourism in developing
regional economies in western China, like Tibet, needs to be understood.
In this point, the author Emily Yeah reflects in an article that the shift to the
domestic market has had other noticeable effects in Lhasa's tourist economy.
Restaurants that for years catered to the Western backpacker crowd have
developed Chinese language menus, and Chinese language skills have
become ever more important for anyone working in the service industry.
Tibetan shopkeepers who sell cultural artifacts such as jewelry and thangka
paintings note that these days, Chinese tourists are on the whole more likely to
spend large sums of money on their products than foreign tourists (a process
9
China daily, Septmber 19, 2009.
10
www.tew.org, Jack Patrick Hayes, November 2006.paralleled by the changing composition of foreign vs. domestic donations to
lamas and monasteries). At the same time, authenticity and proof of local
production of handicrafts does not seem to be as high of a priority for the
domestic tourist market as it is for many foreign tourists, the author
describes. 11
Another important driver, according to this author, is the changing
representation of Tibet within China, from a barbaric and backwards place, to a
mysterious and beautiful land. The commercialization of Tibetan culture has
made it trendy, as evidenced by the growing number of chic boutiques in major
cities selling "Tibetan" trinkets, as well as Shangri-la wine, Tibetan Fragrant
spring sorghum liquor, and Tibet grass brand ginseng-berry juice, among many
other products. 12
Indeed, the rush to Lhasa has been so intense that tourism offices encouraged
people to delay their trips from the summer to the autumn and winter. More
serious than surging hotel prices have been problems with overcapacity and
the potential for damage in major tourist destinations, particularly the Jokhang
and Potala Palace, which have experienced an intensified version of the
problems experienced at tourist attractions across China during the Golden
Weeks. In this situation, it is to say that the government issued a regulation on
July 1 limiting the daily visitor quota to the Potala to 2300, but the surge in
tourism and the system of advance ticket sales that were set up, have led to
illegal ticket sales. Less publicized than problems with the overcrowding in the
Potala, a complaint of many tourists as well as locals, is the belief among
residents in Lhasa that the rush of tourists is damaging the paintings on the
walls in the Jokhang Temple. Therefore, it is argued that the sustainability of
11
www.tew.org, Emily Yeah 2006.
12
www.tew.org, Emily Yeah 2006.tourism in Lhasa is, thus, a very open question on many fronts. 13 Therefore “uncertainty” in Tibet has been a fact that tourists needs to understand. On March 14 2008, the China Daily reported that Tibet was consumed by a bloody riot that led to the deaths of at least 18 civilians and one policeman. “A fight against uncertainty”, a European man stated, telling that his impression was that the police in the streets were not against people, but that they were fighting against uncertainty, which is linked to development. In the same way, it is also known that some people think that economic growth may mean that Tibetans have to relinquish their culture and values, but this is not true because strong cultures such Tibetan, do not lose their identity. 14 Therefore, the Tibet misunderstanding by tourists linked to the violent unrest of 2008 and subsequent travel restrictions on foreign travelers may have changed the outlook somewhat on Tibet tourism policy. 15 Its growing impact, and the arrival of many Chinese settlers, is a major concern to exiles and others demanding a return to independence or greater autonomy. The problem comes when it is known that China is counting on tourism growth as a major element in its economic future and many tourists may fear traveling to Tibet under the current circumstances. Tourism is clearly an important economy in Tibet today and, with the increasing number of tourists visiting Tibet, the industry is becoming more regulated by the government. There are also increasing number of Chinese immigrants who are joining the industry to make quick money, making Tibet a hub to generate remittance income. 16 13 www.tew.org, Emily Yeah 2006. 14 China daily, Septmber 19, 2009. 15 Jarrel, T. (2009) See it China. Fodor’s Travel Publications. 2nd edition. New York, USA. 16 Www.tew.org, By Thupten Norbu 2006.
Given these circumstances, it becomes important for tourists to understand
Tibet Tourism Policy. It is important for them to be conscientious and
responsible to respect the sensitivities of local Tibetans as well as to support
their livelihoods through their tour engagement and money. Furthermore, by
promoting tourism as the primary industry of the region, the national
government has expanded projects to publicize the Tibetan cultural landscape,
and also has expanded moves to more closely control conditions and guides.
While tourism can generally help the regional economy, care must be taken to
avoid limiting Tibetan access to the industry in the sustained expansion of the
tourism industry. 17 Tourism will also promote urbanization and infrastructure
construction in Tibet as well as help protect traditional culture and the
environment. 18
In the same way, in recent years, the state has actively promoted "leisure
culture," the transformation of culture into a resource that can be consumed by
tourists and used as a form of capital accumulation. As part of this effort, in
1999 the state declared three "golden week" national holidays - the extension
of the Spring Festival, Labor Day (May 1st) and National Day (October 1st)
holidays to seven days each, as a way to encourage consumption and expand
the domestic tourism market.
Therefore, a good starting point is for the western and Chinese tourists to get
over their respective mystical images of Tibet. Tibetans can neither fly nor are
they savages, they are just ordinary humans. In order to more fully appreciate
the Tibetan culture and empower the local Tibetans, Chinese and western
tourists must not ignore the sensitivities of the local people and tourists should
19
endeavor to support the activities that are freely run by Tibetans.
17
www.tew.org, Jack Patrick Hayes, November 2006.
18
People daily online, march 3, 2005.
19
www.tew.org, By Thupten Norbu 2006.Furthermore, some suggestions for Tibet tourists include to help to keep Tibetan culture alive, use hotels, restaurants, guides and souvenir stalls, when visiting temples be respectful and, when coming back share with your friends about your experiences and encourage them to travel to Tibet. By understanding Tibet tourism policy and making the appropriate actions when visiting this amazing land, we can help Tibet to maintain its unique culture and also be part of China’s current and future development.
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