Over 100 tourist sites resume operation in Xinjiang

URUMQI -- A total of 131 tourist spots have resumed operation in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region as the novel coronavirus outbreak subsides, the regional culture and tourism department said Friday.

As a must-go attraction, Xinjiang International Grand Bazaar, a contemporary shopping mall with products from Asia and Europe, has reopened to the public, with over 1,000 stores involving dining, clothing and handcrafts gradually resuming business.

Other tourist sites, including top-rated attraction Tianchi Lake, some ski resorts and parks have also reopened, with strict protective measures requiring tourists to wear masks, measure temperature, and maintain a distance of no less than 1.5 meters among each other in queues.

Some tourist sites will have limited capacity and reduced hours of operation as well as launch online ticket booking systems for tourists.

Xinjiang lowered its emergency response from the second level to the third starting from Sunday. Previously, it downgraded its emergency response from the top level to the second in late February.

With diverse ethnic culture and unique landscapes, Xinjiang has vowed to build itself into a popular destination for tourists from home and abroad. In the first 10 months of 2019, it received a record 201.9 million tourists, up 42.62 percent year on year.