The tourism authorities of Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region on Sunday called on tourists to keep the Duku Highway, one hot scenic spot, clean and tidy after some netizens alerted online about the garbage seen along the road.

"Please, do not turn the Duku Highway into a wasteyard," read a statement released by the regional tourism authorities on its official Wechat account.

"Self-driving tourists, please bring garbage bags and put the garbage in dustbins or garbage stations along the road. Do not stop randomly on the road and please park in the designated space following the direction of the arrows," the statement said.

"For tourists on foot or taking photos on the road, please take away your personal belongings and do not throw them away on the road," it said.

Please bring your own cups and recyclable bags to reduce the waste and pollution of beverage bottles and plastic bags, it added.

Dubbed as "China's most beautiful highway," the Duku Highway opens only four months a year to travelers due to the weather conditions. With the Xinjiang region attracting tourists from all over the country, the Duku Highway recently became one of the hottest scenic spots.

Trips to the highway have boomed with accommodations completely booked and the Duku Highway jammed with cars.

To ease traffic congestion, the local authority started to restrict traffic since July 12, allowing up to 800 cars to enter the section of the highway every hour, according to local online news outlet STCN.

However, the tourist boom also brought littering. Some netizens warned that the garbage could be eaten by animals and cause irreparable harm to them.

Do not litter near water sources and pasture areas to avoid litter being eaten by cattle, the regional tourism authority stressed.

With effective prevention against COVID-19, Xinjiang has become one of the top choices for Chinese tourists recently, especially since the summer vacation started.

From July 1 to 21, a total of 25.54 million tourists travelled to the Xinjiang region, up 15.7 percent year-on-year with a tourism revenue of 19.1 billion yuan ($2.83 billion), up 16.67 percent year-on-year, China Central Television reported on Friday, citing a local official.