In Xinjiang, tourism peak follows snowy plateau

URUMQI－After a day of cycling on a road on the sparsely populated "Roof of the World", nothing is more comforting for tourists than a hot meal and a good sleep at a homestay.

Trekking and cycling on the Xinjiang-Tibet Road linking the Xinjiang Uygur and Tibet autonomous regions have become trendy pursuits in recent years, with visitors enjoying breathtaking snowcapped mountains along the way.

The settlement of Nulabit has emerged on the roadside, 105 kilometers from the nearest county seat of Yecheng, Xinjiang, to cater to visitors to the plateau.

Zhang Bin, the deputy county chief, said the county government pinpointed the location to cash in on the business opportunity of tourism to help impoverished herdsmen become self-employed.

As a poverty-relief project supported by the Shanghai municipal government, Nulabit started developing in 2017.

Surrounded by snow-capped mountains, grasslands and forests, the new village, just a one-day cycling trip away from the county seat of Yecheng, is rich in tourist attractions.

Shanghai investors have helped build infrastructure and housing with a well-equipped tourist facilities.

"My lodge received over 100 tourists this year, which brought in over 10,000 yuan ($1,420) of income," said Aimtih Syeti, the first herdsman to open a catering business in the village.

He said in the past, they lived a nomadic life with their herds of livestock. Now, they live in a lodge and rent their spare rooms to tourists. So far, 98 households have settled in the village, with a population of 300.

Ge Qiang, Party chief of the village, said catering businesses, cultural activities and supermarkets had also created jobs for the villagers and people from other places in Xinjiang.

Lodge manager Xia Heng said: "Goods are transported from the nearby county. The transportation cost is very high, but we insist on selling them at a fair price."

The Xinjiang-Tibet Road is 1,455 km long, and along the way there are several snowy mountains and lakes.

According to tourism statistics from Yecheng county, the number of tourists on the route exceeded 150,000 last year and is expected to exceed 390,000 this year, creating 3,680 jobs in the county.

Zhang Zhonghe, Party chief of the Yecheng county culture, sports, radio and television and tourism bureau, said that the catering business in Nulabit village has just started, and needed policy support.

The county government is encouraging the development of tourism and agricultural products through by exempting house rentals for the next three years, he said.

Zhang Bin, the deputy county chief, said: "In the next step, we want to introduce high-quality tourism resources not only to provide tourists with supplies and catering but also rescue, camping and car rental services."