Ethnic Groups Weigh Heavily in Developing Western TourismIn the annual Domestic Tourism Fair held in Chengdu, people discovered that the 43 ethnic groups in the west have become blossoms in the tourism industry.According to the authoritative statistics, there are 55 Chinese ethnic groups, with a population of over 100 million. Due to historical and natural factors, some groups are still lagging behind. China has decided to implement the policy to push the overall development in the west. "We host 220,000 overseas and 7 million domestic tourists last year, with a total of over 7 billion yuan tourism income," Chi Chongqing, a leading official of Xinjiang Tourism Administration said Friday. Xinjiang, located in the middle of the ancient Silk Road, is mysterious with the remaining relics. Uygur and Kazkastan and other 11 ethnic groups still kept their own habits. Thousands of tourists were drawn from home and abroad to view the beautiful scenery as well as the Uygur residents. Guizhou, a southwest province with Miao and Tong ethnic groups, gives priority in fostering the tourism industry. People there were described to have hairstyle from Tang dynasty and garments from the Song dynasty. Tourists visit there when they like to be close with nature. Yunnan Province is ranked seventh in the comprehensive tourism development index throughout China. "We are trying to build the province into a rich cultural destination with various ethnic groups living here. Up to now, many ethnic art performers have gained enormous popularity in China and abroad," said Shao Qiwei, vice governor of the province. "We have quite a number of ethnic groups in western China, which bears unique characteristics in culture, scenery and history. The boom of tourism will encourage the cooperation and exchanges among different cultures," according to Zhang Xiqin, vice director with China National Tourism Administration. Chinese government has called on joint efforts be made to further develop the western region and back ethnic groups with an active policy, capital and talented personnel. |
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