The service sector in Tibet, especially the tourism industry, has suffered great setbacks since the Lhasa violence on March 14, a press conference of the regional government was told on Tuesday.

In March, Tibet received 14,200 tourists, including foreigners, which represented a year-on-year decrease of 48.7 percent, said Deng Xiaogang, vice chairman of Tibet Autonomous Region at the conference.

As of the end of March, travel agencies had cancelled 309 tours affecting a total of 3,111 people, causing a direct loss of 5 million yuan. In the month alone, the region's tourism revenue was cut by 16.8 million yuan, 40.6 percent less than that of last March.

In the three-day May Day holiday (from May 1 to 3), 89,000 domestic tourists visited Tibet, earning the region 32.72 million yuan, said Sun Yongping, vice director of Tibet tourism bureau.

"This year, we will focus on the clampdown on unlicensed tour guides, souvenir shops and travel agencies to attract more tourists," Sun said.

Last year, Tibet received 4 million tourists from both home and abroad, up 60 percent from 2006.

(Xinhua News Agency May 14, 2008)