Chinaview.cn (PR China)
June 18, 2008

BEIJING, June 18 (Xinhua) -- Tibet's capital, Lhasa, will soon
re-open to foreign tourists, with the date to be announced after the
Tibet leg of the Olympic torch relay on Saturday, local officials
told reporters here on Wednesday.

Lhasa earlier re-opened to tour groups from the mainland, Hong Kong
and Macao and would resume accepting foreign tourists "very soon,"
said vice mayor Chen Zhichang.

Tourism to Tibet was halted after the March 14 riots.

The re-opening date would be officially announced when the Tibet leg
of the Olympic torch relay ended, said Jiang Ga, director of the
Lhasa tourism bureau.

However, neither official said whether other parts of Tibet would be
re-opened to foreign travelers at the same time.

The one-day relay will be held in Lhasa on Saturday. The initial plan
was for a three-day event running from June 19-21, but it was scaled
back after the devastating May 12 quake in southwestern China.