Shiliuyun-Xinjiang Daily (Reporter Ren Jiang) news: At the end of March 2024, when the sudden warmth can turn cold at anytime, and ice and snow still exist in many places in northwest China’s Xinjiang, the “warm spring” of tourism has arrived early. Central Asian countries have become one of the fastest growing and most promising regions for China's inbound tourism, and China has also become the main source of tourists for the tourism market of Central Asian countries. Northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, as the core area of the Silk Road Economic Belt, is taking advantage of China’s opening to the west strategy to have better development.

Multilateral tourism enters into a spring time

This is the busiest spring in recent years for Cheng Xulong.

Cheng is the chairman of Xinjiang Chunqiu International Travel Service Co., Ltd. He should be at a relatively leisure time in March according to his experiences in the past. However, the situation is completely different this year. He has hardly had any rest after the Spring Festival, because he has been occupied with the business of inside Xinjiang tours, as well as inbound and outbound tours, and when he finally finishes the business, he will go abroad.

Photo taken in March, 2024 shows Chinese tourists depart from Jeminay Port in Jeminay County, Altay Prefecture, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, to have outbound travel to Kazakhstan. (File photo)

“I will go to Almaty on March 28, and then to Tashkent,” said Cheng Xulong, who was in a hurry on March 24, 2024 at the first Xinjiang Travel Agent Procurement Conference. At the conference, Xinjiang Chuanqiu International Travel Service Co., Ltd. signed a large number of agreements with scenic spots, hotels, passenger fleets, etc., in preparation for this year's hot tourism. His company has also set up subsidiaries in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, and this year will give a big performance in the tourism market of five Central Asian countries. “Our goal in this year is to facilitate travel for 10,000 Chinese tourists to the five Central Asian countries. Last year, the number was about 3,000. This year, with a better environment, we are also better prepared.”

This spring, those who have been engaged in Xinjiang's tourism industry, like Cheng Xulong, are ready to explore the markets of the five Central Asian countries and other countries along the "Belt and Road." In late March, Urumqi ushered in a boom in inbound and outbound tourism. Xinjiang Xiyu International Travel Service Co., Ltd. and Xinjiang Bianjiang International Travel Service Co., Ltd. have welcomed business tour groups one after another, and Xinjiang Daxibu International Travel Service Co., Ltd. organized three outbound tour groups to Kazakhstan in mid-to-late March.

As the temperature rises, multilateral tourism among China’s Xinjiang and the countries in Central Asia has kept developing.

Cooperation brings new market

“For some reasons, the alliance for tourism exchanges and cooperation between northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and five Central Asian countries didn’t participate in the conference, but we have already sent them the new tourism products and travel routes inside and outside of Xinjiang launched this year. Now, various exchanges are on the way,” said Wu Feng, the head of the Travel Agency Association of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. The conference was hosted by the association and the alliance, which was established in June 2023, presided over by the association, and together with cultural and tourism industry associations and enterprises of the five Central Asian countries.

Exchanges and interactions, forum and promotion meetings, researching and developing tourist routes and products, introducing tourists to each other... Although the alliance was established less than one year, it has gained a reputation, and its activities have been successful. "The alliance is a platform for tourism enterprises from China's Xinjiang and five Central Asian countries to promote tourism resources, introduce tourists mutually, and strengthen tourism research. It will provide accurate tourism information and suggestions for government departments, and contribute to the joint construction of the Belt and Road," Wu Feng said.

The reason of the alliance seeing a boom is closely bonded to the strategy that Xinjiang’s tourism has kept opening up to realize high-quality development.

Linked by the mountains and rivers, people of China’s Xinjiang are closely connected with those of the Central Asian countries. Since the Belt and Road Initiative was put forward, tourism cooperation among Xinjiang and Central Asian countries under bilateral and multilateral frameworks has made steady progress, with people-to-people exchanges increasing year after year and the cooperation expanding deeply and broadly, forming a vivid pattern of all-round, wide-ranging and multi-channel cooperation. Especially after the first China-Central Asia Summit held in May, 2023, Xinjiang has conscientiously implemented the outcomes of the summit, continuously strengthened cultural and tourism exchanges and cooperation with Central Asian countries, and achieved a series of practical results.

Photo shows the promotion meeting for cultural exchanges with and tourism in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan themed "2023 Xinjiang is a Wonderful Land" in Tashkent, capital of Uzbekistan. (File photo)

In 2023, relevant authorities in Xinjiang held cultural exchanges and tourism promotion activities in Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan with the theme of "Xinjiang is a Wonderful Land." The authorities went to Kazakhstan and other countries to discuss and communicate with local tourism enterprises to establish cooperation, and then promoted series of new tourism routes and products themed on “China’s Xinjiang+Central Asian Countries.” The five countries of Central Asia also had frequent visits to Xinjiang, participating in the Sixth China Xinjiang International Dance Festival, activity themed on “Beautiful China-Trip of Finding China,” the first Xinjiang International Tourism Photography Conference and other events.

In February, 2024, Kazakhstan’s delegation also held tourism potential promotion and resource matching meetings in Xinjiang. More than 50 tourism enterprises from Kazakhstan participated in the meeting, and enterprises from Xinjiang showed great enthusiasm. The conference enjoyed a warm atmosphere, with people filling the 300-seat venue and chairs being even temporarily added three times in a row, showing the enthusiasm for cooperation between the tourism companies of the two countries.

Work together to win the future

The frequent cultural and tourism activities at various levels and fields have improved and steadied the tourism exchange and cooperation mechanisms among Xinjiang and Central Asian countries.

In 2023, Xinjiang received about 3.53 million inbound tourists in total, among which 1.82 million came from Central Asian countries and 1.71 million from Kazakhstan. The number of people visiting Kazakhstan from China also hit a record high in 2023. "Central Asia is one of the regions with the fastest growth and greatest potential for China's inbound tourism. China is also the main source of tourists in Central Asia's tourism market. The tourism resources of the two sides are highly complementary and have great potential for development." Tang Wen, director of the industry development division of the Cultural and Tourism Department of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, said that with the implementation the policies such as visa-free arrival, China's outbound tourism market sees continued growth in the share of Central Asian countries, and Central Asian countries have become the preferred destinations for tourists from Xinjiang and other parts of China.

Photo shows Kazakhstan tourists take photos at the Tianshan Tianchi scenic spot in Changji Hui Autonomous Prefecture, northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. (File photo)

In 2024, Xinjiang will continue to strengthen the opening-up of tourism. While supporting travel service agencies and enterprises to explore the tourism market in Central Asia, Xinjiang will attract and encourage tourism enterprises from Central Asian countries to invest in Xinjiang to achieve cooperation and multiple benefits. It will contribute to the establishment of border tourism pilot zones and cross-border tourism cooperation zones. At the same time, the supply of tourism products will be further enriched, optimizing the investment and financing service platform of China's Xinjiang cultural and tourism industry, and implementing more high-quality cultural and tourism projects, to drive the upgrading of Xinjiang's tourism industry. By cooperating with Central Asian countries, more cross-border tourist routes will be developed, and the international tourist trains will be opened. Relying on cultural exchange and tourism promotion activities such as the "Kazakhstan Tourism Year," "Xinjiang is a Wonderful Land," etc., various innovative promotion methods will be taken, cultural and tourism promotion will be vigorously carried out. "We will continue to optimize the tourism market environment, vigorously improve tourism service facilities and services, and strive to build Xinjiang a major tourist destination in the world, and attract more Central Asian tourists to come to Xinjiang, know Xinjiang, and fall in love with Xinjiang," Tang Wen said.

Relying on the golden passage between Asia and Europe and the geological advantages, the high-quality development of Xinjiang's tourism industry will also have a broader space for development.

"Tourists from Central Asian countries have great interest in Xinjiang's business tours, medical and health tours, and study tours. We plan to invite key members of the alliance to visit Xinjiang at the end of April to develop more market-attractive products and expand cooperation and exchanges," Wu Feng said.

"Now, Central Asian countries are more and more popular among Chinese tourists as tourism destination," Cheng Xulong said that in 2023, 80 percent of tourists guided by the Xinjiang Chunqiu International Travel Service Co., Ltd. to Central Asian countries were from outside Xinjiang, "We have designed a variety of tour routes with the modes of 'tour inside Xinjiang+ outbound tours'." Last year, he spent half a year in Central Asia, and in 2024, he will spend more.

(A written permission shall be obtained for reprinting, excerpting, copying and mirroring of the contents published on this website. Unauthorized aforementioned act shall be deemed an infringement, of which the actor shall be held accountable under the law.)