LHASA - Southwest China's Tibet autonomous region received 8.43 million tourists in the first 11 months of this year, a 27.7-percent increase from the same period last year, the local government said Monday.

The figure breaks up into 8.18 million domestic travelers and about 250,000 international tourists, according to a press release issued by the regional statistics bureau.

The region's tourism revenue over the same period totaled 9.277 billion yuan ($1.47 billion), up 39.4 percent year-on-year, it said.

Despite the plateau's tough winter climate, local authorities have worked out preferential policies in cooperation with travel services, airlines and hotels to woo tourists in the slow season, including offering discounted air tickets, hotel rates and entrance fees to major destinations.

A "Winter Tour in Tibet" campaign, held from November 1 to December 31, also brought more tourists to major landmarks, including the Yarlung Zangbo Grand Canyon and Mount Qomolangma.

Tibet is expected to receive at least 8.5 million tourists this year, said Wang Songping, deputy chief of the regional tourism administration.

Wang said the annual tourism income is expected to top 9.5 billion yuan.

An estimated 15 million tourists will visit Tibet annually by 2015, generating up to 18 billion yuan in annual tourism revenue, according to the region's 12th Five-Year Plan (2011-2015).