The first group of foreign tourists has arrived in Tibet, since the Himalayan region was sealed off last month for the sensitive anniversary of a failed uprising, state media reported.

A German tour group of 11 travellers arrived in Lhasa, Tibet's capital to start a six-day tour of the region, the official Xinhua news agency reported late on Saturday.

The news agency said that more than 500 foreign tourists were expected to visit the Himalayan region in April.

Authorities closed Tibet and adjacent areas during the anniversary of the March 1959 uprising that led to the exile of the Dalai Lama, Tibet's spiritual leader.

At the time, authorities announced it would reopen the region to overseas travellers on April 5.

The latest clampdown was the second time in a year that Tibet was closed to foreign tourists.

The central government banned travellers from going to Tibet immediately after riots erupted in Lhasa and neighbouring regions in March last year, on the uprising's 49th anniversary.