Xinjiang tourism recovering after riot

Watch Video

Play Video

Tourism is recovering fast in Xinjiang after the July 5th riot. Over the weekend, some of the best-known scenic spots saw the crowds of visitors, even more than was recorded this time last year.

The busiest season has started for Rukeya Yusup. The Uyghur girl majored in English, but she also speaks fluent Mandarin. After 2-year's hard work, she is now one of the best tourist guide in Tianchi, or the Lake of Heaven.

Introducing the beautiful scenery is just part of her job, she said well-conducted communication with tourists is also important, since tourist visit may only happen once, but good impression may last a lifetime.

Work makes her exhausted, but she's happy.

Rukeya Yusup, a tourist guide, said, "On a busy day like this, tourists often arrive here before the park is open, and they just keep coming all day. I have to work 10 hours a day and keep talking and smiling. There's usually no time for me to have any meals during work. But I hope the peak season lasts as long as possible, because it's good for us and the scenery spot."

Tourism was hit severely after July 5th Riot in Urumqi. 3 days after the Riot, only 500 people visited Tianchi, a huge contrast to the usual number of 9 thousand.

But as social order has been restored, tourists have come back to Xinjiang, the largest region in China, and appreciate its extensive diversity of natural scenery.

Tianchi has offered visitors a half-price discount on entry fee and all the services within its range, including transport and catering. For the local people, all the service are free. This promotion has boosted its tourism quickly.