While a possible murder victim was discovered under a hotel bed in Lhasa, the Tibet Autonomous Region of China announced a significant increase in tourist visits during the recent May Day holiday, with over 1.16 million tourists visiting the area.
This number is 2.37 times higher than the number of tourists in 2019 before the Covid-19 pandemic. The region also reported an increase in tourism revenue, with 848 million yuan (approximately $122 million) earned during the five-day holiday, representing a 42.3% increase compared to the same holiday period in 2019.
These figures indicate a strong recovery of the tourism industry following the Covid-19 epidemic, as stated by the regional bureau of Culture and Tourism and reported by China’s official Xinhua news agency on May 5.
According to reports, the Potala Palace recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site, had 27,701 visitors during the holiday period. Additionally, Basum Lake and the Yarlung Zangbo River Grand Canyon were mentioned as popular scenic spots visited by tourists in Tibet during this time. The average occupancy rate of star-rated hotels in Tibet was reported to have reached 74% during the holiday period.
Last month, the body of a possible murder victim was discovered under the bed of a popular hotel in Lhasa, Tibet, among internet influencers. The police have arrested a suspect in connection with the crime. The incident gained significant attention when a 37-year-old traveller from Shanghai, known by the pseudonym Zhang, left a note on a Chinese hotel review website on April 21, reporting the discovery of the body under his hotel bed on the previous day.
Upon checking into the Guzang Shuhua Inn room, Zhang had noticed a foul smell but assumed it was either from the bakery downstairs or his own feet. He went to sleep and then left for dinner.
Upon returning to his hotel room, the smell that Zhang had previously noticed had become overwhelmingly pungent, and he requested to be moved to a different room. Later that evening, the Criminal Police Detachment of the Lhasa Public Security Bureau contacted him to inform him that a murder victim had been found under the bed he had slept on for three hours.
Zhang spoke to Shangyou News and stated that he had learned of the murder in the hotel and that the victim had been lying under the bed for several days. The police assured him he was not a suspect, as the body had been there before his arrival.
The case news has been widely reported in China, with state-affiliated news outlets publishing video footage of the arrest of a suspect caught on a train bound for Lanzhou, which is approximately 2,000 kilometres away from Tibet.
After assisting the police in their investigation, Zhang left Tibet, but he has expressed that he is still struggling with shock and has been unable to sleep properly. He has stated that he stays awake until 2-3 a.m. every night, and even slight movements wake him up, leaving him in a poor mental state.
