Tours tailored around Xinjiang culture boost visitor numbers

It's no longer just skiing, hot springs and gourmet food that await travelers to Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous region in CHINA's northwest.

Over the winter, many tourists have been experiencing distinctively local activities developed by travel agencies.

The region received more than 3 million visitors over the recent Spring Festival holiday, up 71.3 percent when compared with the same period last year.

Tourism income surged 74.4 percent to 3.6 billion yuan (539.6 million U.S. dollars) during the festival.

Kanas Lake in Altay Prefecture, northwest CHINA's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous region. /VCG Photo

"Travel today doesn't just mean seeing the sights," Ma Li from the CHINA Youth Travel Service's Xinjiang branch explained to CHINA Tourism News. "Travelers need a richer form of content."

The company has organized many themed activities and experiences to ensure travelers have a good stay in Xinjiang.

This winter, the agency saw its customer numbers triple compared with the same period of the previous year.

Its specialty tours of Jimsar County drew in 5,500 visitors, while the one at Tianshan Tianchi packed in more than 6,000 people over the winter.

Kanas Lake in Altay Prefecture, northwest CHINA's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous region. /VCG Photo

The CHINA Youth Travel Service Xinjiang agency is just one of the local tourism players that have launched new programs to better cater to travelers' needs.

In mid-November, Urumqi International Train Travel Service launched four special tourism trains with routes that take in Keketuohai, Altay, Kanas and Ulungur Lake.

It's the first time that such train routes have been offered, says Zhang Ronghan, an official with the rail agency.

Travelers have been able to experience fairytale-like Kanas and stunning fishing on the ice at Ulungur Lake.

 Tianchi Lake at Tianshan Mountains in northwest CHINA's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous region. /VCG Photo

For Kanas alone, the number of travelers has more than doubled at Xinjiang Kanas Smart Tourism Co.

Most of the travelers are from Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Tianjin, says Wu Bin, an employee at the company.

Wu's agency has developed programs offering snow carnivals and accommodation at Tuva people's traditional houses during the winter.

Travelers have swarmed to the area to see locals engage in fun competitions using skis made from pine and fur, the essential style of which is thought to date back as far as 12,000 years.

The active involvement of travel agencies is also partly a result of incentives from local governments at various levels.

Summer scenery of Nalati Grassland in northwest CHINA's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous region. /VCG Photo

The Narat scenic spot has rolled out 10-yuan tickets for group travelers who book through local travel agencies, while visitors have free access to skiing equipment and horse racing.

To date, Narat has received more than 30,000 visitors, a significant number of whom came from Jiangsu Province, Tianjin, Beijing and Hong Kong, according to Che Hua, an official with the organization that manages the scenic spot.

The Altay government has granted subsidies to tourism attractions and hotels that opened through the winter season. There was also a monetary incentive for the top six travel agencies who sent the most travelers to Xinjiang.

Xinjiang has rolled out nearly 300 cultural tourism events across the region to boost winter tourism, according to the local culture and tourism authority.

(Cover: Autumn scenery ofKanasLake inAltayPrefecture, northwest CHINA's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous region. /VCG Photo)