China says Tibet open to foreign tourists

BEIJING, June 26 (UPI) -- Tibet, which convulsed after the March 14 Chinese crackdown on its freedom protesters, has reopened for foreign tourism, authorities say.

The first batch of foreign tourists since the March uprising in Lhasa to protest Chinese rule of Tibet arrived Wednesday, media reports said.

The first two foreigners were from Sweden, Liao Lisheng with the Tibetan tourism bureau told the China Daily. Four tourists from Singapore were to arrive Sunday, the newspaper reported Thursday.

Tibet had been closed to overseas tourists since the uprising. Authorities said the step was taken because of safety concerns and to facilitate reconstruction of facilities damaged during the unrest.

"The success of the Olympic torch relay four days ago in Lhasa demonstrated the foundation for social stability has been consolidated," one tourism bureau official said.