The growing winter tourism has given the home-stay business a shot in the arm in Northwest China’s Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.
The diverse winter fun programs and more trains and flights have heated up the region’s winter. The local authorities now offer more than 130 tourism activities through March, and major scenic spots provide free or discounted skiing and dining tickets.
Approximately 2.1 million tourists visited the area during the recent three-day New Year’s Day holiday, up 40.58 percent as compared with the same period in the previous year, the regional department of culture and tourism reported. The tourism revenue was 1.69 billion yuan ($246 million), a year-on-year increase of 46.86 percent. All of Xinjiang Trollflower Hotel’s 20 rooms were booked during the New Year holiday.
The tourists have increased a lot from the previous winter, and advance booking is required during the winter holidays, says Tang Qi, an employee with the Xinjiang Trollflower Travel Agency, which runs the homestay.
The agency has special winter activities almost every week, such as ski and bonfire parties.
Chi Binchang from the eastern Shandong province has also seen Xinjiang’s tourism potential boom.
Tags: northwest china, Xinjiang
