Unrest breaks out in Tibet in 2008. (Photo via Creative Commons)

According to Chinese travel agents, the Chinese government has closed the country’s Tibetan region to foreign tourists in anticipation of the third anniversary of anti-government riots.

The AFP reported:

"The tourism bureau will not give permission to foreigners to come to Tibet in March," an employee at the Xizang Tourist General Company in the region's capital Lhasa told AFP by phone.

"They can't come to Tibet in March and as far as April is concerned we are still awaiting notification (of any rule changes)."

Other agencies also told AFP that travellers from overseas would not be allowed into Tibet in March, while one firm said that permission for foreign tourists to come to the region would take at least 10 days to be approved.

China routinely limits foreign travel to Tibet, requiring overseas tourists to obtain special permits -- in addition to Chinese visas -- and also travel in tour groups.

Chinese foreign officials confirmed the closure, citing national security concerns over the anniversary of the event.

The Guardian reported:

The region's top official confirmed the restrictions after travel agents reported orders not to arrange trips for tourists, who need a special permit to visit the region in addition to the visa for China.

Zhang Qingli, the Communist party secretary in Tibet, said there were "some control measures" for safety reasons, citing potential overcrowding and freezing winter weather.

He told reporters at an annual political meeting in Beijing that the region was stable. "It's not that the anti-Chinese forces and the Dalai clique haven't thought of it but the fact is they haven't been able to stir up any unrest since the March 14 incident."

The Chinese government has widely blamed the unrest that stemmed from the 2008 riots on the exile of the Dalai Lama. The Dalai Lama has refuted the claims, and said violence was not nearly his intention.

Forbes reported:

Tourists from outside the country were banned entirely for more than a year following the 2008 riots in Lhasa that killed at least 22 people and set off a wave of protests across Tibetan areas of western China.

China responded with a massive military crackdown in which Tibetan rights groups say nearly 140 Tibetans were killed.

China says Tibet has been part of its territory for at least centuries, while many Tibetans say they were effectively independent for most of that time.