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Shoton Festival to boost tourism in Tibet

Xinhua, July 24, 2015 Adjust font size:

Southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region is expecting an influx of tourists as it plans a host of cultural events for an upcoming traditional festival in the regional capital Lhasa.

The Shoton Festival, also known as the Yogurt Banquet Festival, is a week-long extravaganza that has been held since the 11th century. It was originally a religious occasion during which locals would offer yogurt to monks who had finished meditation retreats. This year's festival will be held from Aug. 14-20.

It will feature Tibetan opera performances, exhibitions of painted scrolls, concerts and football games.

August is high season for Tibet tourism, with many visitors attracted to beautiful scenery on the plateau du1ring the summer holidays.

Lhasa received a record 1.4 million tourists during last year's Shoton Festival, a 16-percent increase year on year. The visitors brought 378 million yuan (about 61 million U.S. dollars) in tourism revenue, up 32 percent from 2013. Endi