The movie "Kora" has attracted many cycling enthusiasts to the Sichuan-Tibet Highway, and has also brought an increasing number of visitors to a place called Nyingchi. Yesterday, the tourism department of Nyingchi Prefecture in Tibet came to Kunming to promote its unique tourism resources with the latest travel information and incentive policies. It was announced at the meeting that a flight route from Guangzhou–Kunming–Nyingchi is expected to open next March; on land, upgrades to new routes are expected to significantly shorten the driving time from Kunming to Nyingchi.
Nyingchi is the lowest-altitude, warmest, most humid, and most biologically diverse tourist area in the Tibet Autonomous Region, known as the "Snowland Jiangnan" and the "Earthly Shambhala." It is one of the few remaining pristine lands on Earth rarely touched by humans. Here you can find the beautiful Lulang Forest Sea, flower fields, and sea of clouds. Strolling across the meadows of Lulang, where cattle gently graze and streams babble softly, feels like stepping into a paradise. The 7,782-meter-high Mount Namcha Barwa stands proudly like a "spear thrusting into the blue sky," making it one of the world’s most challenging peaks to climb. Of course, there’s also the enchanting colorful Nyêmo Valley and the majestic Yarlung Tsangpo Grand Canyon bend. Here, visitors can see the most beautiful group of Pailongba Waterfalls, experience perilous ancient suspension bridges, and get up close to the awe-inspiring Yarlung Tsangpo Grand Canyon—often described as the "turning point of life."
Wang Jun, Director of the Nyingchi Prefecture Tourism Bureau in Tibet, told reporters that if travelers take the old route—Kunming–Dali–Lijiang–Diqing–Changdu Mangkang in Tibet–Zuogong–Nyingchi—it covers a distance of about 2,000 kilometers (passable for family vehicles), whereas taking the route from Kunming–Nujiang Bingzhongluo–Tibet Zayü–Zayü–Nyingchi covers approximately 1,000 kilometers, saving nearly 10 hours in total. "The section from Bingzhongluo to Zayü along this route is 221 kilometers of dirt road. After construction begins next year, it is expected to be upgraded to a level three or two road surface within three years," the official explained. Of the 120,000 self-driving tourists entering Nyingchi from inland China, 23% come from Yunnan. Due to the significant number of travelers from Yunnan, the Nyingchi tourism bureau has strengthened exchanges and cooperation with the Yunnan tourism industry, signing tourism cooperation agreements with Nujiang, Diqing, Lijiang, and Dali.
According to insiders, the current cost of self-driving tours to Nyingchi is relatively high, at about 1,000 yuan per person per day. Aside from driving, travelers can also choose to fly to Nyingchi. It is revealed that although there was a flight route from Kunming to Nyingchi back in 2009, it was suspended after six months of operation. With growing passenger demand, Nyingchi Airport may launch a flight route from Guangzhou–Kunming–Nyingchi next March, offering yet another travel option for more Yunnan tourists wishing to visit Tibet.