China re-opened Tibet for tourists despite the coronavirus pandemic, proclaiming “rapid growth of the regional tourist economy”. With the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) witnessing 1.88 million domestic and overseas tourists on October 9, China has proclaimed the rapid growth of the regional tourist economy, The Taiwan Times stated.

It is important to note that it was due to the Chinese government’s re-opening of the region that the first and only case of coronavirus was seen here. The person was from Wuhan, the city from where the virus originated.

According to The Taiwan Times, there are many reasons why China is rushing to reopen the tourist sector of the TAR, but one key reason is the security concerns around growing instability in the region. The Beijing government has often used the excuse of “economic growth of the region” to defend its repressive policies in the TAR. However, it is to be noted that even though the region is becoming the fastest growing economy but as per the human development report TAR is the least developed region in China.