TIBET, China, July 29 (UPI) -- Tibet's architectural icon, the Potala Palace, will allow no more than 2,300 visitors a day, the Xinhua news agency reported Saturday.
Visitors traveling in tourist groups will be restricted to 1,600 a day and no more than 700 individual visitors will be allowed in, said Zha'nor, deputy director of the Tourism Administration of the Tibet Autonomous Region, at a press conference Thursday.
The limit was set after consultations between tourism and cultural relics protection authorities, he said.
"A limit on the number of visitors is necessary for the protection of the Potala Palace," the official said.
He attributed the increase in the number of visitors to the maintenance efforts on the ancient architecture in recent years.
The Chinese government spent 55 million yuan ($6.875 million) repairing the palace between 1989 and 1994. Another major repair work involving 180 million yuan ($22.5 million) started in 2002 and is scheduled to be completed next year.
