China reopened Tibet to foreign tourists recently after claiming victory over the worst unrest there in decades - which led Beijing to all but seal off the area from the outside world.
China's crackdown in the wake of violent protests in Tibet in March drew international condemnation, and led to demonstrations in several countries that disrupted the Olympic torch relay ahead of the Beijing Games in August.
However, Tibet experts and tour guides said China would probably make it difficult to travel to the remote Himalayan region through its usual strict permit procedures.
On the Tibet government website, spokesperson Zha Nuo said the move was taken after an apparently trouble-free torch relay through the Tibetan capital Lhasa last week proved stability had been restored.
"The successful Beijing Olympic torch relay in Lhasa on June 21 proves that currently social stability in Tibet has been further consolidated."
With the Beijing Olympics set to start in little over a month, China faced the prospect of the Games being tarnished by continued overseas criticism of its Tibet policies if it kept the region sealed off.
However, tour operators in Lhasa said restrictions remained in place and non-Chinese could travel to the region only in tour groups after obtaining special permits.
"It is still difficult for foreigners to travel here, it is not really all opened up," a tour agent with the Shendi International Travel Agency in Lhasa said.
"The problem is that the permits are going to take time. Without the permit to enter Tibet, foreign travellers will not be able to buy air or train tickets to Tibet."
Tour operators said such permits could take up to two weeks to obtain.
Zha did not say when a ban on foreign journalists to the region would be lifted.
Beijing kicked all tourists and foreigners out of Tibet after violent protests against Chinese rule erupted in mid-March, prompting a massive Chinese security clampdown.
"It is very hard for us to believe that China will allow free access to Western tourists," Paul Bourke, executive director of the Australia Tibet Council, said.
"China has always seemed to go to great lengths to prevent Tibetans from having any contact with foreigners. We will be watching with interest to see how this so-called 'opening' develops."
Foreign tourists would likely be watched closely and their movements would be restricted, Bourke said, citing what he called the stage-management of the torch relay.
"They may be saying the torch relay was a success, but it was cut from three days to one day and then to a few hours," Bourke said, noting that most Tibetans were told to stay home and a sizable military presence was on the streets.
Bourke said he continues to receive reports from Tibet about a large military presence there and an ongoing police and military lockdown on Tibetan Buddhist monasteries. - Sapa-AFP