Tibet currently has 42 travel agencies of various types (including 21 specialized in serving those from foreign countries and regions), and 50 tourist hotels open to foreigners, seven of which are star hotels. There are more than 400 coaches and cars and over 4,700 staff waiting to serve visitors. The Tibetan tourism network extends to hotels established by the region in Beijing, Chengdu and Xi'an, and tourism offices set up in Hong Kong, Nepal, Beijing and Chengdu. From 1980 to 1998, some 597,800 overseas tourists visited Tibet, generating 178.94 million yuan. In 1998 alone, the region received 96,444 overseas visitors, an increase of 14,282 from the previous year and generating a foreign exchange income of US$33.02 million. This is particularly impressive when it is remembered that tourism industry in Tibet was nonexistent prior to 1978.