LHASA, Sept. 7 (Xinhua) -- The fourth tourism and culture expo kicks off in Lhasa, the capital of Tibet Autonomous Region in southwest China, on Friday.

Officials, experts and representatives of companies from countries including Nepal, India, Malaysia and Thailand, as well as other Chinese provinces and regions, attended the Fourth China Tibet Tourism and Culture Expo, which will last untill Tuesday.

Forums and exhibitions on Tibet's tourism, culture and the Tibetan medicine and mineral water industry, as well as investment and trade promotion will be organized during the expo.

Tibet is promoting tourism, which has become a major driver of the region's growth. It currently contributes over 30 percent to the region's total GDP.

In the first half of 2018, Tibet received about 11 million domestic and foreign tourists, up 29.6 percent year on year, generating tourism revenue of about 12.5 billion yuan (1.8 billion U.S. dollars).