Lhasa to re-open to foreign tourists soon

BEIJING, June 18 (Xinhua) -- Tibet's capital, Lhasa, will soon re-open to foreign tourists, with the date to be announced after the Tibet leg of the Olympic torch relay on Saturday, local officials told reporters here on Wednesday.

Lhasa earlier re-opened to tour groups from the mainland, Hong Kong and Macao and would resume accepting foreign tourists "very soon," said vice mayor Chen Zhichang.

Tourism to Tibet was halted after the March 14 riots.

The re-opening date would be officially announced when the Tibet leg of the Olympic torch relay ended, said Jiang Ga, director of the Lhasa tourism bureau.

However, neither official said whether other parts of Tibet would be re-opened to foreign travelers at the same time.

The one-day relay will be held in Lhasa on Saturday. The initial plan was for a three-day event running from June 19-21, but it was scaled back after the devastating May 12 quake in southwestern China.