A tourist takes photos of peach blossoms in Suosong Village in Nyingchi, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, April 5, 2023. (Xinhua/Jiang Fan)

LHASA, April 17 (Xinhua) -- Southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region received more than 2.55 million tourists from home and abroad in the first quarter of this year, raking in tourism revenue of over 2 billion yuan (about 291 million U.S. dollars), regional tourism authorities said on Monday.

The region reported year-on-year growth of 39.63 percent in tourist numbers and 42.89 percent in tourism revenue, indicating its tourism sector has improved vitality with positive growth momentum, according to Wang Xiaodong, head of the regional tourism development department.

In 2023, Tibet will continue to develop its rural tourism and cultivate a number of special and high-quality travel routes with local characteristics, Wang said, adding that the region aims to receive 39 million tourists and earn 51 billion yuan in tourism revenue this year.