Xinjiang tourism to weather harsh winter

BEIJING - "A harsh winter has come for Xinjiang's tourism after the terrorist attack in May," said Zhang Ru, a 26-year-old in charge of Xinjiang tours in a Beijing-based travel agency.

Zhang and her colleagues used to take more than 100 calls each day enquiring about group tours to the northwestern Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region before May 22, when a bombing in the capital Urumqi left 39 innocent people dead and more than 90 injured.

Lately, they are taking about 10 calls a day and there are seldom any deals sealed. Visitors are afraid, even though they are still attached to the beautiful scenery, exotic appeal and mouth-watering delicacies.

Though confronted with tough situations, both officials and business insiders are optimistic that they will walk out of the shadow soon.

Boasting over 1,100 tourist attractions, Xinjiang is one of the favorite destinations for Chinese travelers. Xinjiang's tourism revenue jumped 16.9 percent to 67.3 billion yuan ($10.9 billion) last year, accounting for more than 8 percent of regional GDP. A record number of 52 million tourists visited last year.

At the beginning of the year, a target was set of 13 percent more tourists and 23 percent more revenue, with the aim of more than 100 billion yuan in revenue by 2015.

Ynam Naserden, head of the regional tourism bureau, regards tourism as a significant means for less developed regions to thrive, as both government finance and local peoples' livelihoods will benefit from the development of related industries. In 2013, around 300,000 people worked in tourism and over 1.2 million people were employed in related sectors in Xinjiang.

Erkin Tuniyaz, vice chairman of the regional government, told Xinhua that the region has taken several measures, including a cooperative mechanism between Xinjiang and 19 provincial regions to encourage group visitors and steer the sector back on track.

Zhang hopes business may start to pick up at the end of this month or in early July, as the effects of the attack diminish and government support begins to take effect.

"Clouds cannot block the sun forever," said Naserden.

There were signs of warming last weekend when a group of nearly 100 tourists from six countries including Singapore and Australia started their journey at Urumqi, Xinjiang's capital, for a trip along the ancient Silk Road. It's the largest group since the attack.

Enthusiasm from domestic travelers is also on the rise. Yang Fan, working in Western China's Gansu province, is carefully planning her trip to Xinjiang's Lake Kanas in the middle of June, dismissing security as a problem.

The latest good news is that the region's first high-speed railway linking Urumqi and Lanzhou City in Gansu is expected to start formal operations by the end of the year.

"With local government support and better publicity, the industry will come through harsh winter soon and tourism in Xinjiang will see a bright new spring," Zhang said.