As winter approaches, it has become fashionable for the people in Tibet to travel beyond the plateau on the Qinghai-Tibet railway.

As well as providing the region with a greater influx of tourists, Xinhua News Agency on Wednesday reported the railway has helped more and more locals escape on winter getaways since it started running on July 1.

Several local organizations in Tibet recently arranged a group tour structured around a train trip to Lanzhou, Xi'an and Beijing. The organizers were surprised and delighted when more than one hundred people applied for the tour.

"We never expected to find so many people interested in traveling," said one of the staff.

Very few Tibetans have been able to afford a holiday outside the plateau in the past, due to the relatively underdeveloped economy and limited transport.

The situation changed with the launch of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway. Cheap train tickets have made the outside world more accessible, tangible and tempting for the Tibetans. And winter is the best season for a low-altitude vacation.