LHASA, March 29 (Xinhua) -- An annual peach blossom festival kicked off in the city of Nyingchi, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region on Friday, attracting visitors from home and abroad.

Besides admiring the peach blossoms, a variety of activities including music and dance performances, folk costumes and ethnic custom exhibitions as well as car races will be held during this year's festival, according to Ding Yonghui, vice mayor of Nyingchi.

Wangdu, mayor of the city, said Nyingchi, which is home to many natural wonders including the Yarlung Tsangpo Grand Canyon and the Namcha Barwa Peak, has seen a surging number of visitors in recent years.

Last year, the city received 7.1 million domestic and overseas tourists, an annual growth of 37.6 percent. The city's tourism industry brought in around 5.9 billion yuan (about 879.4 million U.S. dollars), up 30.3 percent year on year.

Local authorities in Tibet have been trying to bolster the tourism industry. Last year, the plateau region received a record number of 33.7 million visitors from home and abroad.