China's Xinjiang sees tourism boom during Spring Festival

URUMQI, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region experienced a tourism boom during the Spring Festival holiday this year.

During the eight-day holiday that just ended on Saturday, the region received about 7.22 million tourists and raked in nearly 7.4 billion yuan in tourism revenue, according to the regional culture and tourism department.

The figures represented a huge increase from the previous year when Xinjiang received over 4.78 million visitors and raked in 3.55 billion yuan in tourism revenue during the seven-day Spring Festival holiday.

During the holiday this year, scenic spots and ski resorts across Xinjiang hosted a variety of ice and snow sports to attract tourists.

In addition, local museums, libraries, cultural centers and art galleries hosted 3,178 cultural activities and received a total of 641,600 visitors.

The Chinese Lunar New Year, or the Spring Festival, is China's most important festival. This year the holiday ran from Feb. 10 to 17.