China's westernmost region of Xinjiang has become a booming tourist destination.

Statistics show that more than 200,000 overseas visitors went to the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region in 2000, bringing the region an income of nearly US$80 million.

Business people from the Commonwealth of Independent States also bought millions of US dollars worth of Chinese goods in Xinjiang last year.

In addition, a survey shows that 7 million domestic travellers visited Xinjiang, the largest provincial-level region in China, in 2000.

Naiyimu Yasheng, director of the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Regional Tourism Administration, predicted that the region will become one of the most promising tourist spots in China over the next five years.

Experts from the Chinese Academy of Sciences say Xinjiang is in a good position to develop tourism, because of its unique scenic spots.

Xinjiang, on the Silk Road, was once a centre for cultural exchanges between the east and the west. Folk art and customs and a special ethnic culture all help attract visitors from home and abroad, experts said.

Wang Lequan, secretary of the Xinjiang Regional Committee of the Communist Party of China, said the region will grant preferential treatment to foreigners who invest in Xinjiang's tourism industry.

To date, Xinjiang has opened several dozen air routes which provide links with major cities in China. Trunk highway routes, local highway networks and railways are all intended to help the expansion of the tourist industry in the region.

(Xinhu 01/08/2001)