LHASA - InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) opened the first phase of a five-star hotel with 472 guest rooms in Lhasa, capital of Southwest China's Tibet autonomous region on Monday.

IHG follows the footsteps of other luxury hotel groups, including St. Regis, Sheraton and Shangri-La, cashing in on booming high-end tourism to the plateau region.

Tibet's largest five-star hotel will eventually offer 2,000 rooms with a total building area of 220,000 square meters.

"As a coveted tourist destination, Lhasa has long been attracting visitors worldwide," said Wang Gang, vice-president of the InterContinental Resort Lhasa Paradise Hotel. "We welcome tourists from home and abroad with local designs and services," he said.

With improved transportation, more tourists are going to Tibet for the unique scenery and culture.

Tibet received a record 12.9 million tourists last year, up 22 percent year-on-year. It has set a target of 15 million tourists in 2015.

Wang Songping, deputy director of the regional tourism bureau, said Tibet is home to the world's top tourism resources, but it need top tourism facilities to support its development.

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