LHASA -- The courier sector in Southwest China's Tibet autonomous region saw strong growth in both parcels handled and business revenues in the first nine months of 2021, according to local authorities.

Express delivery companies in the region handled 10.4 million parcels in the period, up 31.55 percent year-on-year, the regional post administration said in a statement.

The number of intra-city parcels saw the fastest growth of 38.72 percent to 2.43 million, it said.

Combined revenues from the region's express services surged 41.19 percent to 358 million yuan (about $56 million), the administration added.

The increase in revenues was faster than a rise of 21.8 percent for the whole country's express companies during the nine months.

The sector's strong performance came amid sound economic fundamentals, as new data showed Saturday the region's GDP rose 7.2 percent year-on-year in the first three quarters.