LHASA, March 18 (Xinhua) -- Southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region received more than 3.2 million tourists in the first two months of this year, up 120.4 percent year on year, according to local authorities.

Compared to the previous year, the region's tourism sector saw a robust growth of 159.4 percent, raking in nearly 3.27 billion yuan (about 460 million U.S. dollars) during the period, according to the regional culture and tourism department.

This year, the Tibetan New Year coincided with the Spring Festival, or the Lunar New Year, with both falling on Feb. 10. During the eight-day Spring Festival holiday, Xizang welcomed approximately 2.04 million visitors.

The region's winter tourism has benefited from preferential policies, such as discounted hotel rates and free entry to numerous tourist attractions, which had been in effect from November 2023 until mid-March this year. These measures have spurred local tourism growth during this period.