(XINHUA)

Tourists queue for visiting the Potala Palace in Lhasa, capital of southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region.

The number of tourists to Tibet surged 21.7 percent year on year to a record 10.58 million last year, the region's Tourism Bureau said on January 8.

Revenues for the tourism sector increased 30.3 percent year on year to 12.65 billion yuan ($2 billion), according to official statistics.

Three national parks were opened in Tibet last year, adding to existing attractions, such as the Potala Palace.

Authorities expect to see 15 million tourists visiting the region annually by 2015.