China's Xizang receives over 2 million tourists during Spring Festival holiday

LHASA -- Southwest China's Xizang autonomous region received about 2.04 million visitors from Feb 10 to 17 this year, up over 300 percent year-on-year, local authorities said.

According to the regional culture and tourism department, Xizang's tourism sector raked in more than 1.7 billion yuan (about $240 million) -- an increase of 365 percent year-on-year.

A total of 130 inbound tourist groups from 35 countries, including Japan, the Republic of Korea and Malaysia, were received by the region during the eight-day Spring Festival holiday, the department added.

This year, the Tibetan New Year coincided with the Spring Festival, or the Lunar New Year, with both occurring on Feb 10.