Xinjiang welcomes more tourists during Spring Festival

URUMQI - Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region received 1.76 million domestic tourists during Spring Festival holiday, up 16 percent year-on-year.

The tourists spent 2 billion yuan ($314 million) during the week-long holiday ending Wednesday, up over 28 percent from last year, according to the regional tourism development commission Thursday.

Rural tourism and winter sports were the top choices, according to the commission.

Urumqi International Airport handled 408,000 passengers during the period, up 18 percent. A total of 2,994 flights departed from or arrived at the airport, up 8.5 percent.

During the holiday, trains in Xinjiang carried nearly 910,000 passengers, including 727,100 within the region.

Xinjiang saw robust growth of 32.4 percent in the number of tourists in 2017, receiving 107 million. Tourists spent over 182 billion yuan in the region, 30 percent more than in 2016.

As tourism is seen as a barometer of stability and harmony, Xinjiang's tourism performance "shows again that Xinjiang is a good place," said Shohrat Zakir, chairman of the Xinjiang regional government.