The Qinghai-Tibet railway opened in July 2006 and boosted Tibetan tourism markedly by increasing the accessibility and affordability of travel from China to Tibet. This study evaluates the railway’s impacts on tourists’ travel decisions and experiences in Tibet. The relative importance of the train journey in comparison with the destination experience in Tibet is also examined. A survey was used to collect the perceptions of 187 travelers on the Qinghai-Tibet train in May 2007. Important destination choice factors for Tibet are identified. The importance of the railway to tourists’ destination choice of Tibet and in their overall travel experience of Tibet is confirmed.
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| Qinghai-Tibet railway |
A direct passenger train connecting Beijing, China, and Lhasa, Tibet, first operated on July 1, 2006. The train journey takes 48 hours from Beijing to Lhasa, via Qinghai. The Qinghai-Tibet section of the railway is 708 miles long, stretching across the Tibetan Plateau from Golmud, Qinghai, to Lhasa. This is the world’s highest railway. About 600 miles or more than 80 percent of the Qinghai-Tibet section of the railway is more than 13,000 feet above sea level and more than half the length of the railway is laid on permafrost. In addition to Beijing, passenger train services are available to Lhasa from several major cities in China, such as Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Chongqing, Lanzhou, and Xining.
After the opening of the Qinghai-Tibet railway, tourism in Tibet experienced a marked increase and it is likely to continue to increase. In order to understand tourism issues and to achieve sustainable development in the region, it is necessary to study the impacts of tourism on Tibet from economic, social, cultural, and environmental perspectives. Thus, the positive impacts of tourism could be identified and encouraged, and negative impacts could be controlled and managed. It is important to strive to preserve Tibet’s natural environment, local culture, tradition, and religion.
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| Qinghai-Tibet railway |
It also will be necessary to understand, balance, and manage the impacts to different stakeholders at the destination. This study examined Tibetan tourism only from train travelers’ perspectives, from which only generalizations can be made. Nevertheless, it deepens the understanding of tourism to Tibet. Several future research opportunities can be identified. First, this study focused on train travelers to Tibet and excluded the perspectives of people traveling via other transportation modes. Future research could collect information on travelers using other means of transportation, especially air, in order to get a more complete view of travelers’ perceptions and opinions about Tibetan tourism.
Second, this study was developed based on a one-time questionnaire survey of 187 respondents, and the sample size was restricted by the travel time and the train route selected for the study. Therefore, more questionnaire surveys could be conducted at different times of the year during the peak and non-peak seasons and on different train routes to Lhasa. This approach would minimize the possible bias inherent in a single survey and facilitate comparisons between peak and non-peak seasons and among people from different geographical origins taking different train routes.
Thus, more complete results could be achieved and practical suggestions on Tibetan tourism development could be derived with more confidence. Third, this study focused on the train journey and just scratched the surface of issues relevant to tourism planning and management at the destination. Therefore, more detailed on-site study of Tibet as a tourism destination could be conducted to better understand issues concerning destination management and operation in Tibet and to provide more information to guide future tourism development.
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