China's Xinjiang Welcomes Global Visitors: New Tourism Push Opens Doors to the World
Xinjiang in China—a multicultural area grappling with ongoing Western sanctions due to various human-rights concerns—is set to welcome more international tourists. The local administration aims to enhance tourism and broaden the economic base of this region.
The Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, covering a large area in west China, has emerged as a highly favored spot for domestic travelers in recent times, attracting a historic high of 302 million visitors in the previous year.
Currently, local authorities have released an action plan aimed at expanding the cultural and tourist sectors within the region. The objective outlined in this document, which was made public on Sunday, is to boost the industry’s yearly income to a minimum of 1 trillion yuan ($138 billion) and attract at least 400 million visitors annually by 2030.
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This initiative aims at attracting an increased number of international visitors to the area. The proposal mentions boosting the growth of transnational tourism as well as broadening commerce related to cultural products and services.
Xinjiang, known in China for its breathtaking landscapes and varied blend of ethnicities, is presently not entirely accessible to foreigners.
Although international travelers usually have unrestricted access to most areas within the region, certain popular sites like the extensive Bayinbuluke grassland typically require obtaining special permissions beforehand, as stated by local Chinese tour operators who arrange excursions for foreign tourists.
However, transnational tourism to Xinjiang is expanding quickly, with over 5 million travelers entering the area from beyond mainland China in the previous year, marking a 46 percent rise compared to the prior year.
Last year, international travelers spent approximately $4.5 billion in Xinjiang, which is almost triple the amount from 2023. The area saw an all-time high of 360 billion yuan from tourism activities, based on official statistics.
For Xinjiang, a surge in tourism could enable the area to broaden its economic base, thus enhancing its ability to withstand Western sanctions, noted James Downes, an assistant professor specializing in politics and public administration at Hong Kong Metropolitan University.
He stated that tourism has the potential to decrease dependence on conventional sectors like agriculture and energy, while also fostering development in service-oriented areas.
Xinjiang serves as a key agricultural center in China, accounting for over 90 percent of the nation's cotton production and 80 percent of its tomato output. It also holds significant importance in the international supply chains for these two commodities.
However, the area has encountered an increasing number of Western sanctions starting from 2020 due to allegations of human rights violations in the region. China has consistently refuted these accusations.
In late 2021, the United States Congress enacted the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, which bans the import of goods from Xinjiang reportedly created using forced labor. A comparable restriction was enforced by the European Union in April 2024.
Yet, data shows that Xinjiang's exports have remained resilient despite the sanctions.
During the initial four months of this year, Xinjiang exported over $20.5 billion worth of products, marking a rise of 23.9 percent from the corresponding timeframe in the previous year, as reported by Urumqi Customs. The United States stood as the third largest purchaser of these exports, with imports surging by 153.7 percent annually to reach $1.08 billion.
Subramania Bhatt, the founder and CEO of the marketing and technology company China Trading Desk, noted that Xinjiang’s tourism industry has experienced significant recovery post-pandemic thanks to various elements such as enhanced infrastructure and increased social stability.
Bhatt noted that the area could evolve from being a minor attraction to a major hub for Chinese tourists, provided it implements additional measures to become more accessible.
He proposed that increasing visa-free entry, presenting additional healthcare coverage choices, and supplying more multilingual guidance materials could help draw a larger number of international visitors.
"If these steps are implemented, international tourism might see significant growth — we estimate around 8 million overseas trips by next year, with the potential to reach between 12 to 14 million visitors over the coming three to four years," stated Bhatt.
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