Qinghai-Tibet Railway drives tourism development in 8 years

On July 2, 2014, the State Council of China said that technology and innovation should be used to accelerate growth in the tourism sector, saying that "Tourism is an important part of modern services and speeding up the sector's development plays an important role in job creation and poverty reduction in central and western regions, as well as bolstering economic growth and environmental protection".
 
It also urged that high priority will be given to ensure environmental-friendly practices in tourism.
 
The Qinghai-Tibet Railway, shows how modern construction has helped to promote tourism and ecomonic growth and protected the environment since it was officially operated in July 2006.
 
On July 2, the operator of the railway said that over 73 million people achieving 15.5 percent growth rate annually have been transported since July 2006.
 
Tourist numbers rose from 1.8 mln in 2005 to 12.9 mln in 2013, according to statistics from Tourism Bureau of the Tibet Autonomous Region.
 
The railway is regarded as a technology breakthrough. It has stood safety test of running across the all-year-round frozen earth area, which lacks in oxygen and boasts of fragile ecological condition, making it one of the high-profile projects of the world.
 
The railway has been awarded the National Prize for Progress in Science and Technology and other national patents. Its speed per hour remains stable at 100 km, breaking the world record.
 
The railway traverses three national-level nature reserves, namely the Hoh Xil, Sanjiangyuan and Changtang reserves. And environmental supervision of the railway started before its construction and continued after its first operation on July 1, 2006.
 
On October 17th, 2012, the Ministry of Environmental Protection reviewed the world's highest rail system and announced the results to be "satisfying" after evaluation, according to the People’s Daily.
 
According to the ministry, the wildlife paths, protection of vegetation, frozen earth, marsh and scenery, as well as anti-pollution measures have met expectations, and realized the harmony between the projects and the environment.