Two tourism models offer different views at 'top of the world'

Below mist-shrouded mountaintops, the lake surface shimmers as a cool breeze blows through the verdant valley.

Visitors stroll along the freshly paved shore that fronts a compound of white-walled, angular buildings sporting yellow windowsills, crimson eaves and other ethnic Tibetan architectural trimmings.

The tranquil setting is part of a major international tourism town in Nyingchi, Tibet autonomous region. Touted as a key regional development project with more than $560 million invested, the area covers nearly 86 hectares, with over 900 hotel rooms, of which about two-thirds are given three-star tourism ratings.