A giant mooncake Nang with the words "Celebrate the birthday of my country" is presented in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region on September 12, 2019. Photo: IC

There were more than 7.2 million tourist visits to Northwest China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region during the 2019 Mid-Autumn Festival holiday from September 13 to 15, an increase of 37.23 percent year-on-year. They brought 11.7 billion yuan ($1.65 billion) in domestic tourism revenue, an increase of 24.77 percent year-on-year, the culture and tourism department of Xinjiang announced on Sunday, ts.cn, a local media outlet, reported.  

There were 5.338 million tourists from Xinjiang region, accounting for 74.08 percent of the total number of domestic visitors, with a year-on-year growth of 47.65 percent. Tourists from outside Xinjiang numbered 1.8677 million, accounting for 25.92 percent of the total number, with a year-on-year growth of 14.19 percent.

During the Mid-Autumn festival, short-distance tours in Xinjiang continued to be popular. Mooncakes and Mid-Autumn festival themed activities in some scenic spots drew many tourists' interest, as well as free admission tickets and mooncakes.

Visitors from other regions took the opportunity to celebrate a Xinjiang-style Mid-Autumn festival. In a cultural industrial park for Nang (Uyghur baked flatbread), there were arranged activities for making Nang and mooncakes. 

Wang Yarui, a tourist from Datong, North China's Shanxi Province, gained a lot from the activity. "I had a wonderful time celebrating the Mid-Autumn festival together with tourists from all over the country during my 10-day visit in Xinjiang," she said. 

"During the festival, around 6,000 people visited the site every day. The number of tourists from outside Xinjiang has increased," an employee at the industrial park was quoted as saying by ts.cn. 

Strolling through the poplar forest and enjoying the autumn scenery has become a popular activity choice for holidaymakers coming to Xinjiang. 

During the festival holiday, Luoburen Village, a national scenic area in Weili County, Xinjiang, put on an electronic music festival in the Taklamakan Desert, bringing visitors an audio-visual feast.

Weili County has received a total of 44,455 tourists and brought in tourism revenues of 7.3568 million yuan, with year-on-year growth of 44.55 percent and 69.56 percent respectively.

Global Times