英语新闻丨Prospering Xizang sees surge in overseas visitors

The number of trips made by overseas visitors to the Xizang autonomous region nearly doubled last year as the region aims to become a world-class tourist destination, a senior official of the region said on Tuesday.西藏自治区一位高级官员周二表示，去年，随着该地区成为世界级旅游目的地，海外游客前往西藏自治区的次数几乎翻了一番。In 2024, Xizang received more than 63.89 million visits by tourists from home and abroad, an increase of 15.8 percent year-on-year, with the number of trips made by visitors from overseas rising nearly twofold, said Gama Cedain, chairman of the region, during a news conference held by the State Council Information Office on Xizang's economic and social development achievements over the past six decades.国务院新闻办公室在关于西藏60年来经济社会发展成就的新闻发布会上表示，2024年，西藏接待了6389多万国内外游客，同比增长15.8%，海外游客数量增长了近两倍。"During the process of becoming a world-class tourist destination, we have integrated the cultural tourism industry with economic and social development, and are developing the industry with high standards," Gama Cedain said of Xizang, which is on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and has a long history, splendid culture and unique natural scenery. "We warmly welcome friends from home and abroad to come to Xizang to personally experience the beautiful scenery, immerse themselves in Tibetan culture, and witness the development of the region."“在成为世界级旅游目的地的过程中，我们将文化旅游业与经济社会发展相结合，并以高标准发展产业，”Gama Cedain谈到西藏时说，西藏位于青藏高原，历史悠久，文化灿烂，自然风光独特。“我们热忱欢迎国内外朋友来西藏亲身体验美丽的风景，沉浸在西藏文化中，见证西藏的发展。”Wang Junzheng, Party secretary of Xizang, said at the news conference that the region's GDP reached 276.5 billion yuan in 2024 — 155 times that of 1965, when the region was established — with an average annual growth rate of 8.9 percent.西藏党委书记王君正在新闻发布会上表示，2024年西藏地区生产总值达到2765亿元人民币（384.7亿美元），是1965年西藏成立时的155倍，年均增长率为8.9%。Wang noted that while it took the region 50 years to achieve its first 100 billion yuan in GDP, the second 100 billion yuan milestone was reached after just six more years, and GDP is expected to surpass 300 billion yuan this year.王指出，虽然该地区花了50年时间才实现了第一个1000亿元的国内生产总值，但仅用了6年时间就实现了第二个1000亿的里程碑，预计今年国内生产总值将超过3000亿元。Modern industries including clean energy and cultural tourism are thriving, laying the foundation for a modern industrial system, Wang said, noting that the region continues to enhance its self-sustaining development capacity, with key economic indicators ranking among the highest in terms of growth rates in the country for several consecutive years.王说，包括清洁能源和文化旅游在内的现代产业蓬勃发展，为现代工业体系奠定了基础。他指出，该地区的自我维持发展能力不断增强，关键经济指标连续几年位居全国增长率最高的地区之列。Infrastructure development has also seen remarkable progress, making the "roof of the world" no longer isolated, he added.他补充说，基础设施建设也取得了显著进展，使“世界屋脊”不再孤立。According to Wang, by the end of 2024, Xizang had over 124,900 kilometers of roads and 1,359 km of railway, along with 183 domestic and international air routes. The region has also made strides in energy and digital connectivity, with comprehensive power grids and 4G networks reaching even the most remote villages.据王介绍，截至2024年底，西藏有公路12.49万公里，铁路1359公里，国内外航线183条。该地区在能源和数字连接方面也取得了长足的进步，全面的电网和4G网络甚至覆盖了最偏远的村庄。Wang said that ecological conservation remains a key priority for the Xizang government, with over 50 percent of the region's land under ecological protection. The region has adopted an integrated approach to protecting mountains, rivers, forests, grasslands and wetlands, he added.王说，生态保护仍然是西藏政府的首要任务，西藏50%以上的土地受到生态保护。他补充说，该地区采取了综合方法来保护山脉、河流、森林、草原和湿地。splendid culturen.灿烂文化/ˈsplɛndɪd ˈkʌltʃə/digital connectivityn.数字连接/ˈdɪdʒɪtl ˌkəˌnɛktɪˈvɪti/