In particular, residents of Xianggang (Hong Kong) and Aomen (Macau) no longer need personal written permits to enter its territory. For foreign tourists, the mandatory requirement to travel here in groups of no fewer than five people has been abolished.
Local press notes that the tourism industry plays a primary role in the development of Tibet. As ITAR-TASS reports, in 2002 the TAR was visited by more than 130 thousand tourists (mainly from Europe, Japan, South Korea, as well as Hong Kong and Macau), which brought approximately $51 million to the treasury. This, according to the media, prompted Beijing to ease the entry regime.