Recently, the Tibet Autonomous Region Mountaineering Management Center revealed that the number of mountaineering teams entering Tibet in 2014 increased by 30% year-on-year. Throughout the year, Tibet received a total of 96 mountaineering teams from countries and regions including Nepal, Russia, and Germany, comprising 658 individuals.
According to reports, in 2014, Tibet hosted 658 mountaineering explorers, with 234 successfully reaching the summits of high peaks. Among them, 76 reached the summit of Mount Everest, 145 summited Cho Oyu, and 13 conquered Shishapangma.
Tibet is the core area of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, with an average altitude of over 4,000 meters. It is home to five peaks above 8,000 meters, more than 70 peaks above 7,000 meters, and even more peaks exceeding 6,000 meters, offering uniquely favorable conditions for mountaineering activities.
In recent years, with China’s opening-up and the widespread development of mountaineering, the sport in Tibet has remained consistently popular. Especially in recent years, it has gradually shifted from challenging human limits to serving economic and social development. The mountaineering industry has become a new highlight in Tibet’s economic growth.
According to statistics from the Tibet Autonomous Region Sports Bureau, from 1980 to 2014, Tibet hosted a total of 1,679 foreign mountaineering teams and 17,248 individuals, generating over 320 million yuan in economic revenue. In addition, large-scale international mountaineering events have also created income opportunities for local farmers and herders in the mountainous regions. In 2017 alone, these activities paid out over 3 million yuan in yak and porter fees, environmental protection costs, and other expenses.
With the growing number of domestic and international mountaineers visiting Tibet, the region’s sports authorities have increased efforts to promote amateur mountaineering. An annual mountaineering festival is held in either spring or autumn, and to date, 12 editions have been successfully organized. Facilities such as the Yangbajing High-Altitude Training Base and the Everest Mountaineering Museum have also been established. Currently, the Tibet Mountaineering Festival has become China’s largest platform for amateur mountaineers, attracting numerous beginner climbers from both home and abroad each year.
It has been learned that in the future, Tibet will actively promote the transformation of its mountaineering activities, vigorously develop mountaineering services, and cultivate the mountaineering industry.
(Xinhua News Agency)