To travel to Tibet, foreigners must obtain a Chinese visa and Tibet travel permits. (Photo : Getty Images)
In a group discussion during the NPC’s annual session, proposals to ease travel procedures to the Tibet Autonomous Region was raised, aiming to attract more tourists, according to an article by China Daily.
The region aims to be one of the world's top destinations in the next five years.
To travel to Tibet, foreigners must obtain a Chinese visa and Tibet travel permits. Through the easing of travel procedures, more tourists will hopefully flock to the region.
"Tibet will be more open to domestic and foreign tourists in the next five years," said Hong Wei, deputy director of the Tibet tourism development commission. "We will simplify the procedure for foreigners to obtain travel permits and cut the waiting time."
As of the moment, reforming travel permits to Tibet is still being studied by the government, according to an official from Tibet's publicity department.
Padma Choling, head of the standing committee of the regional people's congress, cleared that the Tibet Autonomous Region has no plans in completely removing travel permits for foreign travelers. The permits' main issue, said Choling, is to make sure foreign travelers are safe.
"It takes at least 15 days for foreigners to receive their permits after submitting all the documents if they are not refused entry. I hope it can be cut to less than a week in the future," said Xu Bin, manager of a travel agency in Lhasa, Tibet.
An increased number in tourists can greatly boost Tibet's annual revenue, which can also lead to job creation in the region, according to Li Yiqiang, deputy director of Shannan Prefecture.
"Allowing more foreign visitors to come to Tibet can help the locals out of poverty by getting them involved in providing tourism services," Li said.
Aside from easing travel procedures, Tibet also plans to streamline the procedures for Chinese people who are applying for passes to travel to border areas. The region currently shares a border of over 4,000 kilometers with several countries, including Burma, India and Nepal.
