Tibet expects to receive three million domestic and foreign tourists in 2009, said an official with the regional tourism administration on Saturday.

Tibet received 230 tourists from Macao and Zhuhai City in south China's Guangdong Province on late Saturday. The tour is the biggest ever since the first operation of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway. They will have a nine-day-tour in Tibet, visiting many scenic spots including the Potala Palace and Jokhang Temple.

The Qinghai-Tibet Railway had brought 7.6 million passengers to Tibet in two years and most of them were visitors, said Wang Songping, deputy director of Tibet Autonomous Region Tourism Administration.

The administration will mainly focus on attracting domestic tourists in 2009 and expects to receive about 2.9 million domestic tourists, Wang said.

Tibet received 2.25 million tourists last year, among whom 2.17 million were domestic tourists.

(Xinhua News Agency April 12, 2009)