Potala Palace to extend opening hours to meet tourists' demand

Palace’s Administration said recently, the Potala Palace would extend its opening hours during the peak season to meet the tourists’ demand. The opening time will adjust from 7:30a.m. to 4:40 p.m.

Tourists enter the Potala Palace in Lhasa, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, April 12, 2012.

The number of visitors to the palace was restricted to 1,600 a day, with opening hours reduced to six hours daily to avoid over-crowding from 1 May 2003. The palace was receiving an average of 1,500 a day prior to the introduction of the quota, sometimes peaking to over 5,000 in one day. Visits to the structure’s roof were banned after restoration works were completed in 2006 to avoid further structural damage. But opening hours were extended during the peak period where over 6,000 visitors would descend on the site.

Tourists are taking photos at the Potala Palace.

At the same time, the official in Tibet Autonomous Region Bureau of Cultural Relics disclosed that they will do careful research and take full advantage of modern technologies, sooner or later Potala Palace tickets will adopt online booking.

Built on Lhasa’s highest point, Marpo Hill, the Potala Palace is the greatest monumental structure in Tibet. It was once the residence of Tibet’s chief monk and leader, the Dalai Lama, and therefore the center for both spiritual and temporal power. Only the given words cannot form the real Potala Palace. It's not only the center of Lhasa, the house of treasure, or the winter palace of Dalai Lama, but also the start of your Tibet Travel, an essential part of your life journey.

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