For some, just mentioning the word “Xinjiang” conjures up images of the snow-capped Tianshan Mountains, boundless verdant grasslands, the juicy grapes of Turpan, the bustling bazaars of Kashgar, and the forbidding Taklamakan Desert extending beyond the horizon. For millennia, people of various ethnic groups, including the Uygur, Kazak, Mongolian, Hui, and Han, have embraced the frontier soil, developing a diverse range of ethnic culture. Alongside the amazingly distinctive geological landscapes, the diversity and exotic nature entice numerous tourists to explore this complex region.

In recent years, the economic growth of Xinjiang has driven the development of tourism in the region, making it an important sector which in turn boosts the economy in other sectors. Statistics show that in 2009 Xinjiang yielded a gross income of 18.6 billion yuan in tourism, with tourists totaling 21.33 million, including 354,900 foreigners. According to the region’s long-term plan, by 2015, Xinjiang’s total income for tourism is expected to reach 70 billion yuan, at an annual growth rate of 20 percent.

From May 17-19, 2010, a central work conference on Xinjiang’s development was held in Beijing, instituting strategies for promoting “leapfrog” development and securing long-lasting peace in the region. Shao Qiwei, director of China National Tourism Administration (CNTA), revealed that presently, and in the years to come, the CNTA will give top priority to supporting Xinjiang to realize the targets of its 12th Five-Year Plan. Efforts will be made to improve infrastructure in major tourist areas, build Nalati, Turpan, and Kashgar into state-class tourist resorts, create a gold travel route based on the Ancient Silk Road, and further the construction of a regional tourism system, so as to promote tourism as the cornerstone of Xinjiang’s economic growth.