'Bridge in the sky' flights to boost development of Qinghai, Tibet and Xinjiang

Ti Gong

A hundred chartered flights taking tourists from Shanghai to southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region and northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and Qinghai Province will be organized to assist in the far-flung areas' cultural and tourism development.

Among the flights, 15 will head for Shigatse in Tibet, and the destination for another 55 is Kashgar in Xinjiang. Another 15 will fly to Karamay, also in Xinjiang, with the rest bound for Golog in Qinghai.

Authorities from the four places signed cooperation a strategic agreement with Shanghai Spring International Travel Service (Group) Company on the chartered tourist flights on Thursday.

Shanghai has paired with the three regions in a national program to assist in their development.

These flights, serving as a bridge in the sky, will boost exchanges and communication between Shanghai residents and people of Shigatse, Kashgar, Karamay and Golog, and are expected to fuel their culture and tourism development as well as boost employment, officials said.

Ti Gong

With joy and excitement, 100 tourists boarded the first chartered fight to Shigatse, which took off from Shanghai Pudong International Airport at 4:30pm on Thursday, ahead of Friday's China Tourism Day.

This is the first time that Shigatse was welcoming a tour group from Shanghai by chartered flight.

It is also the first chartered plane to arrive at Shigatse's Dingri Airport since it began operation last December.

Located near China's southwestern border and in the Yarlung Zangbo River basin, Shigatse is the second largest city in Tibet. The city has 18 counties and districts as well as 9 border towns. It borders countries such as Nepal, Bhutan and India, and is a key area and important channel for the development and opening up of China's border areas.

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The nine-day and eight-night tour will mainly take in scenic attractions in Shigatse, and will also visit Lhasa, the Tibetan capital; Shannan, another city in Tibet; as well as Chengdu, capital of Sichuan Province.

The route covers many well-known scenic spots and historical sites, such as the Mount Qomolangma (or Mt Everest) National Park and Lhasa's Potala Palace.

"Many Tibet tourism routes normally start from Lhasa, which is far from Mt Qomolangma. Visitors need to travel dozens of hours to get there by shuttle bus," said Wang Wei, president of Shanghai Spring International Travel Service (Group) Company.

"But this tour will begin from Shigatse, which is only a 20-minute drive from Mt Qomolangma."

In order to ensure the safety and health of tourists when traveling on the plateau, the flight is being operated by China International Airlines, using aircraft models with plateau performance. Sufficient vehicles and guides will provide full-scale service for tourists.

Meanwhile, portable oxygen cylinders are available during the whole journey. And professional medical personnel will accompany the tourists throughout the tour.

According to the travel service company, the route is one of its quality tourism routes, sold at 9,850 yuan (US$1,402) per person, compared with the market price at 15,000 yuan.

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"I'm so excited now," one of the tourists on the group tour, surnamed Shao, told Shanghai Daily.

"This is my first trip to Tibet, my dream place, and I hope I can travel all over Tibet someday."

The long-retired 68-year-old is a travel enthusiast, having visited many places, including Yunnan and Jiangxi provinces, this year alone.

"When traveling, I can forget my age," he noted.

Another tourist, surnamed Li, also looked forward to the trip.

"It is also my first trip to Tibet," she said. "I planned to go there before I retired."

Li retired in 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic was raging.

"I had no choice but to postpone my plan until this year."