China's last roadless county now a tourist boomtown

Tibet's Medog county, dubbed as China's last roadless county, celebrated a tourist boom last year thanks to a new highway, its county head said Wednesday.

Known for its tropical scenery and sacred status among Buddhists, the county received 96,000 tourists last year, almost doubling that in 2013, said Tashi, county head of Medog. The county ended its isolation with the opening of the Medog Highway in October 2013.

The county is expected to welcome 110,000 visitors this year, bringing in 6 million yuan (979,432 U.S. dollars) in ticket revenue while employing more locals in tourist industry.

"The coming years will mark an explosive growth of tourism in Medog," Tashi told Xinhua at the annual legislature meeting of Tibet Autonomous Region.

Tourism in Medog was long hampered by its difficult access. Road access into Medog was available for only four months a year, with landslides and avalanches constantly interrupting traffic. The Medog highway extended the area's traffic season to 8 or 9 months.

A bus station will be put into service this year, allowing visitors to come by bus. The county is also training herdsmen to run family inns and restaurants as a way to cater to tourists while improve their income, according to Tashi.