XIAHE, China (AP) - Labrang, one of the great Tibetan Buddhist
monasteries famed for its sacred scriptures and paintings, was
nearly deserted over the May Day holiday.
A few pilgrims in traditional robes turned prayer wheels.
Several young monks kicked a soccer ball on a dirt field.
Tourism, an economic lifeline for many in this chronically poor
region, has plunged since Tibetan protest against Chinese rule
flared across a broad swath of western China in March, prompting
Beijing to flood the area with troops. Foreigners are still banned,
and until recently Chinese were advised to stay away.
In years past, thousands of tourists descended by busloads on
the town of Xiahe in Gansu province with the 18th century Labrang
monastery. A billboard proclaims the area an "AAAA grade scenic
tourist spot."
The number of visitors has plummeted more than 80 percent from
last year's 10,000, said Huang Qiangting with the Xiahe Tourism
Bureau.
"It's because of the incidents in March," said Yuan Xixia,
manager of the Labrang Hotel, whose 124 rooms were mostly vacant
during the national holiday. "I haven't seen a tour bus on the
street for days."
In mid-March, two days of protests in Xiahe turned violent, with
demonstrators smashing windows in government buildings, burning
Chinese flags and displaying the banned Tibetan flag. Chinese media
have said 94 people were hurt in Xiahe and surrounding towns in
March, though that number is difficult to verify.
Some expect business to remain slow until after the Beijing
Olympic Games in August, when travel restrictions may be further
eased. The streets were quiet immediately after the Olympic torch
reached the top of Mount Everest, a peak considered sacred by
Tibetans.
A shortening of the May Day break this year to three days from
seven contributed to the drop in tourism. But most industry
executives said the riots and tense security were the primary
culprits.
The affected area includes not only Tibet but also the nearby
provinces of Gansu, Qinghai and Sichuan, which have had sizable
Tibetan communities for centuries.
South of Xiahe, five counties remain sealed off in Sichuan,
where protests bubbled up anew last month, part of the most
widespread demonstrations against Chinese rule since the Dalai Lama
fled abroad nearly a half-century ago.
Nearby areas that are open such as Jiuzhaigou, a picturesque
valley of lakes and waterfalls surrounded by mountains, are seeing
fewer visitors, travel agents said.
"This used to be the hottest season for tourists," said a
woman working at the Forest Hotel in Sichuan's Aba county, the site
of most of the unrest. She gave only her surname, Xie. "But we
haven't seen any tour groups since March."
Meanwhile in Tibet's capital of Lhasa, where Chinese authorities
say 22 people died in violent riots in mid-March, hotels are almost
empty at what should be the start of the busy tourist season.
At the Lhasa Hotel, only half of the 400 rooms were filled, said
a staff member, Zhuoma, reached by telephone. Like many Tibetans,
she uses one name.
The falloff in business is a blow to a ruggedly exotic but poor
region where the government has encouraged tourism to provide a
much-needed boost.
A tourism boom was under way in Tibet, generating new demand for
guides, hotels and other services. Tibet had 4 million visitors
last year, up 60 percent from 2006, the official Xinhua News Agency
said, boosted by a new high-speed railway to Lhasa. Tourism
revenues hit $687 million, more than 14 percent of the economy.
Beijing is eager for the area to regain its popularity. State
media have run numerous, cheerful pieces on life returning to
normal.
"A trickle of Chinese tourists began arriving in ethnic Tibetan
areas of west China over the May Day holiday, sparking hopes of a
revival in the tourism industry after the unrest in March," read
one report by Xinhua.
"Lhasa seems busier and livelier than what I imagined,"
tourist Wang Fujun from the southwest city of Chengdu was quoted as
saying on Xinhua as he snapped photos outside the Potala Palace.
But that impression seemed an exaggeration in Xiahe.
"Since what happened in March, no one dares to come here
anymore," said a roadside fruit and vegetable vendor who, like
many, refused to give his name for fear of retaliation from
authorities.
"At this time of the year, the streets, hotels are all usually
full. I normally sell all my produce in one day," the vendor said,
pointing to strawberries and watermelons piled next to leeks and
lettuces. "Now, it takes me three days to sell the same amount."
Shopkeepers sit listlessly behind glass counters or in front of
their stores, chatting with neighbors. Tibetan coin-studded leather
belts, popular with Japanese tourists, hang unsold in a tiny store.
Eateries offer only limited menus, the lack of customers
discouraging owners from buying food.
"Last year, this place was full everyday. Tourists from all
over China, as well as France, Germany, England," said the owner
of a 50-seat cafe serving a local specialty of beef fried rice
along with Western-style chicken burgers and french fries. "This
year? Nobody."
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