Promoting Tibet’s Winter Tourism with Its Unique Ecological and Cultural Resources

　　— Development of Tourism Routes in Black-Necked Crane Winter Habitats

　　Dawa Tsering (China)

　　I. Introduction to the Black-Necked Crane Winter Habitat

　　Tibet’s river banks are a winter home for migratory birds, such as black-necked cranes, bar-headed geese and tadorna ferrugineas, presenting a unique, fabulous landscape on the “roof of the world.” Unfortunately, such a resource has yet to be developed.

　　To count, over 8,000 black-necked cranes have been found on the Tibet Plateau, accounting for 80 percent of the world’s total and making Tibet the world’s largest winter home and breeding ground for such birds. As winter comes, people often see flocks of cranes hunting for food in river valleys. The mild climate and the great amount of available highland barley, wheat and grass roots left behind after harvest make it a pleasant night shelter in winter for the birds. Between mid-March and late April, they fly northward, breeding around lakes or marsh wetlands.

　　Black-necked cranes are listed as endangered species in the International Bird Red Data Book and Convention on Endangered Species. The latest estimates count approximately 10,000 on the planet. Over the last few decades, to protect birds unique to the plateau, Tibet has established a number of nature reserves, the most famous being the National Nature Reserve for Black-Necked Cranes on the middle reaches of the Yarlung Zangbo River, the Phanpo Nature Reserve in Lunzhub, the National Nature Reserve in Serling Co (Lake), and the Nature Reserve in Xainza. In addition, the Lhalu Wetland National Nature Reserve in Lhasa has also become an important habitat for migratory birds.

　　Black-necked cranes are considered sacred by Tibetan people. They appear in considerable classical and modern literature. Many Tibetan idioms and proverbs are derived from the birds, which are also believed to be predictive.

　　Black-necked cranes are often found in wet areas, such as swamps, lakes and river shoals, on the plateau 2,500 to 5,000 meters above sea level. As a migratory species, they arrive in Qiangtang, the northern highland, in the middle of March, and begin breeding in late April on alpine meadows, by lakes, or in marshes. They head to Tibet’s river valleys in mid-October for winter.

　　Black-necked cranes travel in massive flocks in winter. They are timid and vigilant soon after arriving, hovering in the air for a long time and avoiding the ground until they make sure it’s safe.

　　During winter, they begin hunting for food in marshes or slopes at around 7 a.m. They also peck at leftover highland barley, buckwheat, oats, and grass roots in farmlands after the harvest. They hunt for food in the loose soil with their long beaks instead of claws. They also peck parasites found in cattle feces.

　　Tibet is the world’s largest winter habitat for black-necked cranes. Every year, it attracts more than 6,000 birds to the river valleys of the Yarlung Zangbo and its tributaries, mainly in two areas – Lhasa and Xigaze.

　　The Lhasa area can be divided into two sections, east and west. The eastern section is composed of counties of Lunzhub, Dagze and Zaizhokunggar, while the western section is covered by Quxu, Doilungdeqen and Nyemo. The eastern section serves as a major winter habitat for some 700 birds. Experts counted 601 in 2009, 698 in 2010, and 779 in 2014.

　　The eastern section is adjacent to downtown Lhasa, with a comparatively centralized winter habitat – ideal for one-day bird watching tours. The most distant winter habitat, Tanggya, is 70 kilometers from Lhasa, and the nearest, Ngaqen, is ten kilometers from Lhasa. The area provides an ideal route to appreciate birds and learn about traditional Tibetan culture because the majority of the winter habitat is located along the northern highways linking Lhasa and Tanggya, with farmlands and Tibetan villages far from noisy National Highway 318.

　　The world’s largest winter habitat for black-necked cranes is found in Xigaze, including the city of Xigaze and counties of Xaitongmoin, Lhaze, Sagya, Namling, and Bainang, attracting some 2,000 black-necked cranes every year.

　　All in all, Lhasa and Xigaze provide winter habitats for 80 percent of the world’s black-necked cranes, composing the largest winter habitat on earth and creating a unique, splendid scenery in the river regions of Yarlung Zangbo and Lhasa – an uncommon bird-watching resource for winter travelers. Black-necked cranes breed in large areas in summer, and they seldom breed in dense groups. Consequently, it is hard to see them in big groups, even in Qiangtang, a major breeding ground. The only place to enjoy such grand groups up-close is Tibet, in winter.

　　II. Necessity of Opening a Route for Bird Watching

　　Over the last few years, the local government and the department in charge of tourism in the Tibet Autonomous Region have made unremitting efforts to promote winter tourism, so as to balance tourism seasons.

　　To this end, the Tibet Tourism Administration has promulgated a series of preferential policies with innovative measures. The year 2011 was big for Tibetan tourism, highlighted at the China International Travel Mart in Kunming, Yunnan Province, which noted Tibet’s tremendous draw of tourists from the Pearl River Delta.

　　Winter tourism was also greatly promoted by the 3rd Tibet Tourism Image Ambassador competition in 2011, along with many other campaigns, such as the Grand Canyon Cultural and Tourism Festival, a photo contest, Mysterious Western Tibet, Heavenly Ngari, the premiere of Kora, a movie based on National Highway 318 (dubbed the most beautiful scenery route in China), which won the Cultural Innovation Award at the Japanese Film Festival, Nyingchi, cited as China’s Best Folklore Holiday Destination by CCTV’s Channel 7 in December, and road reconstruction in Medog and Zayu counties.

　　Generally speaking, Tibet’s winter and summer tourism have been unbalanced.

　　To help change the situation, favorable prices are offered during winter – at least a 50 percent discount over summer.

　　Tibet sees heavy tourism in summer, when all tourist attractions are crowded with visitors, who hardly ever witness natural beauty in a pleasant way. In some spots, visitors cannot even see anything up-close. For example, during summer, it is extremely difficult to get a ticket to visit the Potala Palace due to visitor limitations.

　　Winter travel can help. Visitors will find more options for scenic spots and tourist services. Even so, winter tourism can still hardly compare with tourism in summer. That’s why it’s necessary to open special routes for winter travelers in Tibet.

　　III. Suggestions on Tour Routes Featured by Bird Watching

　　Although plenty of black-necked cranes spend their winters in Tibet, it is not always convenient to watch them because most of their habitats are so far from Lhasa. Moreover, the birds are sparsely scattered, and the population is relevantly limited. The best locales for bird watching are eastern Lhasa and Xigaze, which feature a larger number of birds, convenient transportation, auxiliary tourist attractions, unique culture resources, and a location adjacent to downtown areas.

　　Route 1: Lhasa Area

　　This route for bird watching should be designed around the eastern section – where a large quantity of black-necked cranes can be found, as well as other migratory birds, such as bar-headed geese and tadorna ferrugineas. Here, people can enjoy a magnificent view of over one million bar-headed geese, a rarity in the world. Still, this area is the heart of farming culture in Lhasa, so visitors can learn about and experience the local culture.

　　Route 2: Xigaze Area

　　Xigaze is another wonderful destination for bird watching – with more black-necked cranes that stay longer than those in Lhasa. It takes at least three days for a round trip between Lhasa and Xigaze: one via Gyangze, another via Nyemo. People can spend the entire day watching the birds in Xaitongmoin, Lhaze and Sagya.

　　IV. Features of Bird-Watching Routes in Winter

　　Ecotourism should serve as an economic means of enhancing the productivity of ecological products. Meanwhile, it is an indispensable means of building a beautiful Tibet. Absorbing knowledge from nature and culture, it can minimize ecological harm, assure a sustainable utilization of tourism resources, and fuse ecological protection, public education and local economic and social progress.

　　My theory, outlined in Ecotourism in Tibet: Black-Necked Crane Watching and Winter Plateau Culture, enjoys the following features.

　　-- Coordination. Ecotourism aims to maximize social, economic and ecological benefits, which can promote coordinated development that is socially, economically, and environmentally friendly to the tourism destination. Thorough analysis has been done in sectors of ecotourism activities, environment bearing capacity, ecotourism, social and economic development, and environmental protection, through the following campaigns:

　　 Periodically analyze and outline the situation to protect habitats for black-necked cranes in tourist areas

　　 Invest revenues in the protection of black-necked cranes and other birds through donating funds directly to black-necked crane nature reserves

　　 Encourage local farmers to participate by selling handicrafts featuring strong local flavors

　　 Provide training for locals to join in the development of tourist service industries, such as restaurants, hotels, and art performances.

　　-- Culture. The highlight of this campaign is the integration of winter bird-watching and local handicrafts, an attempt to help Tibet overcome its winter tourism slump. A bigger market for Tibetan crafts can increase incomes, encourage enthusiasm for local cultural industries, enhance ecotourism progress, and integrate traditional culture into modern tourism industry.

　　-- Ecology. The destination of ecotourism is a complex of ecosystems, which are interconnected, interdependent and follow the law of circulation of materials and energy transformation: The change of one factor will cause a chain reaction affecting other factors within the system. To protect the ecosystem in the winter habitats for migratory birds, efforts should be made as follows:

　　 Prohibit tourists from entering the birds’ habitats

　　 Prohibit tourists from deliberately disturbing birds hunting for food

　　 No littering of any kind

　　 Prohibit damaging resources of habitats

　　 Control the number of visitors and vehicles

　　 Print brochures on animal protection in Tibetan, Chinese, and English languages

　　 Provide maps of scenic spots which illuminate protection efforts

　　-- Locality. All destinations are comparatively untouched and strongly-flavored by local culture, thus offering a chance for visitors to enjoy natural beauty and authentic Tibetan culture. A great number of the birds around Lhasa and Xigaze have been seldom disturbed by man, and people can learn about farming culture in these areas. Tourist activities are suggested as followed:

　　 Enjoy local food

　　 Admire farming culture

　　 Witness traditional lifestyles

　　 Visit places of interest, such as Phalha Manor, Ralung Monastery, and Nenqenkangsam Glacier

　　(Dawa Tsering, researcher at the Academy of Social Sciences of Tibet Autonomous Region)