Pastoralism and Rangeland Management on the Tibetan Plateau in ...

3.3 Balancing Protection <strong>and</strong> Development to
Achieve Sustainable Tourism Growth
in Pastoral Communities. A Case Study on
Namtso Scenic Area
Guge Qimeiduoiji, Tenzin Zhuoga, Tudeng Kechu 13
Abstract
The development of rural tourism is not only conducive to promoting the rural
economy in the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR), but also an important means
of utilizing scattered rural surplus labour. It is an effective way to build a br<strong>and</strong>
of harmonious tourism, increase pastoralist incomes through tourism revenues
<strong>and</strong> promote ecotourism. Based on the experiences of rural tourism in Tibet, this
article uses a case study on the Namtso Scenic Area to discuss the development
<strong>and</strong> protection of local tourism resources <strong>and</strong> practices <strong>and</strong> the encouragement
of local herdsmen to participate, to protect the environment <strong>and</strong> increase tourism
revenues. The authors also analyze problems of the status quo, <strong>and</strong> propose
countermeasures for furthering the development of tourism in the Namtso Scenic
Area.
1 Overview of the Namtso Scenic Area
The Namtso Scenic Area (NSA) is located in Damxung County of Lhasa City,
<strong>and</strong> Bangor <strong>and</strong> Nagqu County of Nagqu Prefecture, Tibet. Its geographical
coordinates cover longitudes 89°30’–91°25’ <strong>and</strong> latitudes 30°00’–31°10’. The
total area of the NSA is about 9,684 km2, <strong>and</strong> it spans 114 km from east to
west, <strong>and</strong> 150 km from north to south (China Academy of Urban Planning <strong>and</strong>
Design 2008). Its jurisdiction includes seven towns of Damxung County, four
towns of Bangor County <strong>and</strong> one town of Nagqu County. The NSA has up to
3,000 hours of sunshine every year, with an annual sunshine rate of more than
65 %. The average temperature of the hottest month is 10.8 °C <strong>and</strong> –9.9 °C for
the coldest month. It has distinct wet <strong>and</strong> dry seasons, with the rainy season
lasting from June to October <strong>and</strong> the dry season from November to May.
One of the core attractions of the NSA is Lake Namtso, the world’s highest
saltwater lake. It originated from a major rift on the northwest slope of the
13 All authors are affiliated with Tibet University, Lhasa
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