Tibet Travel News

Potala Palace: Opening Time Extended to 10 Hours

According to the Management Office of Potala Palace, the opening time of the palace has been extended to 10 hours per day.

It is recorded that all the tourists and religious visitors to Potala Palace has increased to over 4,000 every day, reaching to the record in 2006. In order to admit the increased visitors and relieve the burden of the palace, the Management Office decides to extend the opening time, which is now from 09:00 to 19:00.

- 9:11 P.M. EST, Jul 2, 2007

Tibet Railway: Tickets Shared between Qinghai and Tibet

Qinghai-Tibet Railway stations have decided to share the tickets between Qinghai and Tibet, considering the imbalance appeared among railway stations during the ticket selling.

At present, tickets leaving from Tibet are surplus. There are four trains leaving from Tibet every day, with about 1,000 tickets unoccupied, which are mainly soft and hard berths, according to Xu Ance, the vice minister of the Operating Department of Qinghai-Tibet Railway Company.

In view of this, the company decides to simultaneously sell the surplus tickets in the stations of Nakchu, Golmud and Xining 24 hours before the train departs, so as to relieve the great demand of tickets in the stations along the railway, especially in Golmud.

- 9:10 P.M. EST, Jul 2, 2007

Tibet Railway: Trilingual Attendant Equipped as Interpreter on the Train

Subtitle : Trilingual Attendant Equipped as Interpreter on the Train

Traveling by the Tibet Railway is a memorable but difficult experience due to its high altitude. To facilitate the Tibet travel, Qinghai-Tibet Railway Company has carried out many measures to improve the conditions of the trains and railway stations, according to Ministry of Railways.

To improve the service of more and more Tibetan passengers and foreign tourists, the company has conducted a particular training on English and Tibetan languages for its attendants, and equipped a trilingual attendant as interpreter on each train. Meanwhile, they also use the broadcaster on the train to spread information on sightseeing, health concerns and environmental protection on the plateau.

On the Golmud Railway Station, more convenient fallibility is newly equipped, such as passages for VIP passengers, electronic boards on ticket, and automatic consultation machines. The programs on the broadcast and TV in the waiting room are also improved. In addition, the passenger stations in Lhasa, Nakchu, Damxung, Amdo and Golmud are designed higher, while viewing stations are established in other tourist stops along the way.??

- 4:01 A.M. EST, Jun 27, 2007

Lhasa: the Visiting Time in Jokhang Temple to Limited

Tibet: Restaurants Competing to Refresh Menus

To meet more and more visitors' demand on dining in Tibet, restaurants in Tibet are now competing to refresh their menus, which are supplemented with the explanations in Chinese, English and other languages.

Tibetan Dishes, with a long history of a thousand years, are usually the first choice of visitors. By extracting from the traditional and palace dishes, the Tibetan Dishes have been improved into a nutrient and dainty cuisine catering to the tastes of visitors outside Tibet. Meanwhile, more and more other Chinese cuisines and foreign cuisines also begin to be served in Tibet.

- 3:21 A.M. EST, Jun 26, 2007

New Lanzhou-Lhasa Air Route Opened by Hainan Airlines

According to Xinhua News Agency, on Jun. 15^th, Lhasa Gonggar Airport welcomed a new flight - No. HU 7457/8 departing from Lanzhou. The successful opening of the Lanzhou-Lhasa Air Route provides another of the fastest ways to go to Tibet.

This new flight is opened by Hainan Airlines and operated by A319, with flight departure every day. It departs from Lanzhou at 13:30, and arrives in Lhasa at 16:00. The return flight runs from 17:05 to 19:35.

At present, a preferential price is promoted by the airlines.

- 2:59 A.M. EST, Jun 19, 2007