Construction on the first international convention and exhibition center in southwest China's Tibet autonomous region began on Sunday in the regional capital of Lhasa.

Located in Lhasa's Dongcheng District, the Tibet Convention & Exhibition Center will start operating as a major venue for big conferences and festive events in 2014, local officials said.

The center covers an area of 33,543 square meters, with a projected investment of about 541 million yuan (86 mln U.S. dollars).

The city is also building a five-star hotel and a road network to provide catering services and transportation for the center.