HUANGPU SHANGHAI

Aerial photo shows a new highway traversing the Taklimakan Desert in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, June 23, 2022. [Photo/Xinhua]

CONVENIENT TOURISM

Xinjiang comprises 1.66 million square kilometers or approximately one-sixth of China's total land area. Traveling to Xinjiang and visiting its various tourist spots used to be an arduous task.

That, however, is a thing of the past. Today, Xinjiang has 24 civil airports, with the 24th one opening last month and more under construction.

There are other travel options available for those who like taking road trips, so they can enjoy the scenic views along the way. Last month, the Hotan-Ruoqiang Railway was officially put into operation, marking the inauguration of the world's first desert rail loop line. The third highway traversing the Taklimakan Desert opened to traffic last week.

Furthermore, tourists have a variety of lodging options. According to official data, Xinjiang currently has 386 star-rated hotels and 5,643 homestay facilities.

In addition to improving its tourism infrastructure, Xinjiang has rolled out a series of measures to stimulate the sector and has since been incentivizing local governments to attract tourists from outside the region.

One of the latest trends is local officials promoting tourism through short videos and live streams. He Jiaolong, deputy head of the culture and tourism department of the Kazak autonomous prefecture of Ili, is the first of about 25 officials involved in such promotional efforts.

In October 2020, a video of her riding a horse across snowy fields in Zhaosu county went viral. And the number of visitors to Zhaosu increased fivefold the following year, as people flocked to see horses galloping in the snow.

Although some prefectures, including Zhaosu, saw fewer tourists in the first half of this year compared to the same period last year, the volume in June increased by 14 percentage points from that in May, said He, adding that she is confident the momentum will continue.

With more than 5 million followers on social media, He said she is glad to have blazed a trail for her colleagues in other places. "I hope more will join us. We need many more people to introduce our wonderful Xinjiang to the world."