Basang Drolma, a senior staff member at the center, said she was one of the villagers who has benefited from tourism from the beginning. She was pleased to find a job in the tourism center at her home village, and always helps the villagers sell their local products to tourists.

"Most of my villagers are not interested in tourism, but I think they have to change their mind, because there will be good opportunities with the big support from government for promoting tourism in the village," said Basang Drolma.

Working for more than 12 months, Drolma now receives a monthly salary of 4,000 yuan, and she often assists villagers in recommending local products such as boiled potatoes, eggs and Tibetan butter tea to tourists.

Ethnic products featuring Tibetan cultural elements in the Drakyerpa Tourism Service Center. [Photo  by Palden Nyima/for chinadaily.com.cn]

Lhakdron, a fellow villager of Basang Droma who works as a shopping guide in the center, said she just graduated from a university outside Tibet and felt lucky to find a job at her doorstep, as she receives a monthly salary of 3,100 yuan.

"It's so convenient to work in the tourism service center in the village. When I go to work and go back home on foot, it takes only a few minutes," she said.

Dagze district is known as the eastern gate of the region. In 2018, the district received more than 770,000 tourists, with an increase of 17 percent year-on-year, and its tourism revenue hit about 38 million yuan, up 21 percent over the previous year.

Over 4,000 rural villagers from about 1,000 households took part in the tourism industry in 2018.