Exhibitors cash in at tourism and trade event
Droma had been busily unwrapping boxes, selling beauty products and counting cash all day when she paused to talk to journalists and smile for the cameras.
She happily opened one box, filled to the brim with banknotes, and told of how she and her colleagues had made more than 10,000 yuan ($1,455) that day after selling out of all their stock at the fourth China Tibet Tourism and Culture Expo.
“The expo is one of the most magnificent events in Tibet. We don’t mean to sell much, but to let more people know our brand,” she said.
Held in Lhasa, capital of the Tibet autonomous region, the expo attracted about 230 exhibitors from around the world, including ones from Nepal, India, Thailand, Malaysia and Pakistan.
The event in early September aims to promote commercial and tourism exchanges and bring real benefits to local residents.
Exhibitors sold drinking water, traditional Buddhist paintings known as thangka and Tibetan medicine, as well as blankets, porcelain and hi-tech gadgets such as a glass-free 3D monitor that shows Tibetan landscapes.
There were also kiosks for bedand-breakfast services in rural areas, traditional music being played and a Tibetan apparel fashion show.
Day and night, the exhibition centre was crowded with people — some held their children in their arms, while others pushed elderly relatives in wheelchairs.
Yang Tashi brought Tibetan incense and burners to sell. The 65-year-old said her family made 300,000 yuan at a previous expo.
“The event helps let more people know about Tibetan culture and specialties. It also provides a platform for different businesses to communicate,” she said.
Fang Yuan, a teacher at Xizang Minzu University in Xianyang, Shaanxi province, brought Tibetan clothing, accessories and other cultural products designed by her college students to the expo.
She said they had started a workshop to innovate on traditional Tibetan products, adding that she hoped to accelerate the commercialisation of her students’ designs by visiting the expo.
“Many of our students have a great interest in Tibetan culture. We have known about the expo for a long time and were looking forward to taking part,” she said.
Fang added that her delegation made two deals on the first day, and many visitors came to ask for information.
There were about 40 million yuan worth of on-site transactions done during the expo, according to data from the Tibet autonomous region’s government. Nearly 60 per cent of the commodities on offer were being sold by foreign exhibitors, showing the event’s international flavour.