JOURNEY TO A NEW HEIGHT

For Gu Lifeng, who runs a self-driving club in Xi’an, Shaanxi Province in northwest China, August signaled fresh opportunities as he set out for a new tour to Tibet Autonomous Region in southwest China. The route started from Xi’an, passed through Qinghai Province and arrived at the Changtang National Nature Reserve in north Tibet.

“The self-driving route developed by the county government of Shuanghu in Tibet is the only one to the area open to tourists for now. The highest altitude in the county is 5,728 meters, and the scenery is spectacular,” Gu told Beijing Review. The ride is surprisingly smooth as Tibet’s infrastructure and tourism services have phenomenally improved, with fewer checkpoints and more hotels providing better services, he added.

It’s a testimony to how the tourism industry is playing an increasingly