The Yili Tianma International Tourism Festival is an important tourism festival in Zhaosu County, Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region.?
The Yili Tianma International Tourism Festival is hosted by the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region Tourism Administration and organized by units such as the Yili Kazak Autonomous Prefecture Tourism Administration and Zhaosu County Western Regions Horse Industry Co., Ltd. The festival closely revolves around the themes of "China’s Green Valley, Beyond the Great Wall, South of the Yangtze", and "Pastoral Zhaosu, Hometown of Tianma", aiming to fully explore and showcase the grassland culture, Tianma culture, and folk culture of Yili, create a boutique tourism festival brand in Xinjiang and a unique tourism cultural business card for Yili, promote the development of the Tianma industry, and drive Yili’s tourism economy to achieve a new leap.?
The festival activities include three major sections: theme activities, special activities, and creative activities. Theme activities include the opening ceremony, the "Tianma Cup" Super Horse Endurance and Speed Race on the Zhaosu Grassland, the Aken Ayites Conference, etc.; special activities include tourism commodity exhibitions, curios exhibitions, food festivals, etc.; creative activities include Tianma summer camps, celebrity equestrian invitationals, etc. These activities have prominent themes and distinctive characteristics, emphasizing performance, participation, competition, and entertainment while highlighting grassland horse culture and folk culture.?
The Yili Tianma International Tourism Festival has been held since 1992. In 2009, the "Tianma Festival" in Zhaosu County was renamed and upgraded to the "Xinjiang Yili Tianma International Tourism Festival", which has been successfully held for many consecutive years and has become one of the influential horse-themed tourism festivals in Xinjiang and even the whole country. For example, the 31st Tianma Festival in 2023, themed "Meet in the Hometown of Tianma and Share the Silk Road Myths", grandly opened at the Tianma Tourism Cultural Park in Zhaosu County, attracting numerous domestic and foreign tourists.?
The 2024 edition marks the 32nd festival, themed "Meet the Horses of July in Zhaosu, Enter the Legends and Continue the Myths", and grandly opened on the Karkant Grassland in Zhaosu County. The series of activities will last from late April to early December, providing tourists with a comprehensive experience.?
In addition, the Yili Tianma International Tourism Festival has also won the three-star award for the "China Festival and Event Brand Excellence", serving as a testament to the development of the new tourism format of "all-time, all-season, and all-region" tourism in Zhaosu County.?