Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, a mysterious place in the eyes of
many Chinese and foreign visitors, received a record 1.4 million
Chinese and 26,000 tourists from other countries in July.
The region gained a monthly tourist income of 1.1 billion yuan
(US$132 million) domestically and US$10 million from overseas
tourists, said Naim Yasin, director of the regional tourism
bureau.
The source of visitors has expanded from southern China's Guangdong
and Zhejiang provinces and Shanghai Municipality to the whole of
northwest China as well as Sichuan and Shandong provinces, Taiwan
and Hong Kong.
Apart from sightseeing, nearly one-fifth of tourists made spot
investigations, sought business partners and negotiated with the
local government departments on projects for cooperation.
Residents of Xinjiang also spent their summer holidays touring
picturesque Kanas Lake, Narat Grassland and Swan Lake.
Xinjiang was also known as "Xiyu" (western territory) in ancient
times. The ancient Silk Road was divided into three major routes in
Xinjiang. Numerous historical monuments along the Silk Road still
can be seen today. The landscape of Xinjiang varies immensely,
ranging from spectacular snow-crowned mountains to the boundless
lush grassland and from the vast expanse of desert to charming
oases and deep serene lakes.
(Xinhua)