Tourism is playing an increasingly important role in Tibet's economy.

"Traffic is a basic guarantee for the development of tourism," said Thupten Khedrup, a professor with Tibet University's College of Tourism and Foreign Languages.

The establishment of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway has broken a traffic bottleneck that used to restrict the development of the plateau's tourism industry.

Since the link's completion, Tibet's tourism has entered a period of rapid development.

In 2007 Tibet received more than 4 million domestic and foreign tourists, realizing tourism revenues of 4.8 billion yuan (702.78 million U.S. dollars). And although Tibet's tourism industry was hurt by the March 14 riot in Lhasa, the year still saw 2.25 million domestic and foreign tourists visiting Tibet. Tourism revenue in 2008 reached 2.3 billion yuan (330.75 million U.S. dollars), almost equaling the total revenue generated between 1980 and 2000.

"Without the Qinghai-Tibet Railway, there would be no such prosperity in the tourism industry," said Thupten Khedrup.

Tibet has formed a solid tourism footprint, with Lhasa as the center, supplemented by Xigaze, Shannan and Nyingchi, and extending to Nagqu, Ngari and Qamdo, said Wang Songping, Deputy Director of the Tibet Autonomous Region Tourism Administration.

Seeing the success of the railroad, the Central Government has approved two projects that will extend service on the Qinghai-Tibet Railway, including adding a Lhasa-Xigaze line and a Lhasa-Nyingchi line, Wang said. The two extensions are planned to be completed by 2020.

"After that day, the two extension lines will bring more opportunities and vitality to Tibet tourism," Wang said.

Tibet's tourism industry is also playing an increasingly significant role in boosting employment and tax revenue, as well as raising the living standards of both urban and rural residents.

With the inflow of domestic and foreign tourists, Tibet's tourism has developed significantly and inspired the development of hotels, catering and tourist infrastructure. From 2006 to 2008, Tibet brought in 10.3 billion yuan (1.51 billion U.S. dollars) in tourism income, according to official statistics.