BEIJING, June 22 -- The Potala Palace, the most famous symbol of Tibet, will restrict its daily visits to below 1,800.

    The measure, according to the museum, is a way to protect the palace, which has a history of over 350 years.

    With the completion of the Qinghai-Tibet railway, the number of daily visitors to Tibet is expected to reach 3,000 to 4,000. "Taking in so many visitors every day would be a disaster to the wood-earth structure of the palace," a staff member of the museum said.

    Liao Lisheng, an official from the local tourism bureau, said 960 tickets of the total 1,800 will be reserved for tour groups. The rest will be sold to non-group travellers and pilgrims.

    The measure means many visitors will not gain admission to the palace each day.

(Source: CRIENGLISH.com)