Riot fails to deter travel plans

By Zhao Huanxin and Hou Lei (chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2009-07-07 11:51

URUMQI: A number of tourists in the capital of the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region are going ahead with their travel arrangements in the aftermath of deadly riots that rocked the city over the weekend.

Two busloads of visitors from Taiwan began their trip in the region on Tuesday morning.

"I know what happened in the city from what I saw on TV. But I'm not afraid since we are well protected here," a woman surnamed Chou from Taiwan's Kaohsiung city told China Daily.

"We will continue our travel plans today but we will avoid any dangerous areas," she said.

At least 156 people were killed and about 1,080 others injured in riots that erupted in Urumqi as of Tuesday morning.

Another group of Hong Kong tourists, who arrived in Xinjiang on June 29, said they would wrap up their trip on Tuesday as scheduled. Their journey was not cut short by the riots and they only had to make some changes to their route, members said.

"I just remind the tourists not to go out in the evening. Our journey has not been affected by this incident," tourist guide Yuan Xiaohong said.

Traffic in the regional capital has also significantly decreased after the riot. Commuters said it cost only half an hour to get from the airport to the Hoi Tak hotel in downtown Urumqi on Monday.

"The trip usually takes more than one hour during rush hour," a taxi driver told China Daily on Monday.

Road blockades also remained in a number of streets in the city on Monday night, Xinhua News Agency reported.