Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Tourist infrastructure near Indian border

China is developing a mega tourist infrastructure north of the McMahon Line. Beijing plans to bring 3 lakhs of tourists every year to visit the gorges of the Brahmaputra.
Please note that the Chinese authorities do not bother their tourists with an Inner Line Permit System like on the other side of the border.

This development also means that the train will probably reach Nyingtri (Chinese Nyingchi) in 3 or 4 years time.
Let us not forget that this infrastructure can also be used for military purpose in case of conflict with India.
'The World Scenic Spot' project raises another question: can this infrastructure be useful in case Beijing decides to build a mega hydropower plant in the Great Bend of the Brahmaputra. The answer is: certainly. In fact, tourism is a good excuse to develop the necessary infrastructure.

Tibet to build Yarlung Zangbo River a world scenic spot
China Tibet Information Center
Miranda
2010-06-07
Tibet invested a huge amount of funds to develop the Yarlung Zangbo River Tourist Attraction into one of the most popular tourist routes in Tibet with the joint efforts between the Tibetan local government and the tourist departments concerned.
The Yarlung Zangbo River Tourist Area was officially opened to tourists in July, 2008.
In 2007, the Yarlung Zangbo River, the Potala Palace and the Mt. Qomolangma were rated as the three major tourist resources in the world. Tibet Municipal Tourism Bureau endeavored to improve the Yarlung Zangbo River Tourist Attraction into one of the five Tibetan 5-A level scenic spots and one of the seven largest in Tibet.
Located in Nyingchi Prefecture of Tibet, the Yarlung Zangbo River has a total lenght of 504.6 kilometers.
"With the world famous Yarlung Zangbo River Tourist Attraction, Nyingchi must be able to boost its tourism," said Liu Jianyun, vice president of Tibet Tourism Co.Ltd.
According to Liu, tourists could visit the Yarlung Zangbo River Tourist Attraction by boat or by bus. Tourists travel by boat can enjoy the breathtaking landscape along the Nyang River, the Yarlung Zangbo River, the Namjiagbarwa Peak and so on while those travel by bus would be treated with the natural beauty of "treasure house of life forms".
Qi Wei, deputy general manager of Tibet Yarlung Zangbo River Tourism Development Co.Ltd said, they were planning to introduce a hiking program along the Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon, and build it into a high level hiking exploration route in the world.
"Hiking along the route, tourists can have a panoramic view of the splendid Yarlung Zangbo River, enjoy the mysterious Namjiagbarwa Peak and the beautiful Zangbo Badong Waterfall Group," Qi added.
Taking advantage of its unique geographical condition, the Yarlung Zangbo River Tourist Attraction will be developed into a scenic spot combining sightseeing of snowy mountains, canyon hiking and drifting exploration in two or three years. By 2013, tourists to the zone are expected to reach 300,000.

No comments: