The assessment of the value of folk tourism in Xinjiang can be conducted from the following aspects:?
First, diverse and abundant cultural resources?
Rich intangible cultural heritage: As an important juncture where Eastern and Western cultures converge, Xinjiang has been a region inhabited by multiple ethnic groups since ancient times, with rich and precious cultural resources. As of 2023, Xinjiang has announced 4,640 representative intangible cultural heritage projects, including 315 autonomous region-level representative projects, 94 national-level projects, and many have been included in the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists, such as the Uyghur Muqam art, Manas, and Maxrap.?
Unique folk customs: The costumes, diet, etiquette, and other customs of Xinjiang’s ethnic minorities are unique, such as the colorful dresses, earrings, necklaces, and other accessories worn by ethnic minorities like the Uyghurs and Kazaks, as well as delicacies like roast mutton kebabs, pilaf, and hand-grabbed mutton, which attract a large number of tourists to experience.?
Second, rapid development of the tourism market?
High growth in tourist scale: In recent years, the tourism industry in Xinjiang has shown strong growth. For example, in 2023, Xinjiang received 265 million tourist visits and earned tourism revenue of 296.7 billion yuan, with increases of 117% and 227% respectively, achieving a "not so off-season and even busier peak season," with the number of tourist visits reaching a historic high. In the first half of 2024, Xinjiang received a total of 120.1796 million tourist visits, up 16.28% year-on-year, with tourism revenue reaching 131.657 billion yuan, up 37.39% year-on-year.?
Continuous improvement of tourism supporting service facilities: The Xinjiang government attaches great importance to the development of the tourism industry and has issued a series of policies and measures to support the high-quality development of tourism, including improving tourism service quality and perfecting tourism supporting service facilities. Currently, Xinjiang has 599 A-grade scenic spots, including 15 5A-grade scenic spots and 134 4A-grade scenic spots, providing tourists with a rich variety of travel options.?
Third, the value of folklore tourism is prominent?
Unique tourism experience: Folklore tourism in Xinjiang allows tourists to deeply experience the local cultural customs and traditions, such as participating in traditional festivals of ethnic minorities, tasting authentic cuisine, and enjoying ethnic dances and songs. This unique tourism experience cannot be replaced by other forms of tourism.?
Promoting cultural exchanges: Folklore tourism not only allows tourists to understand Xinjiang’s cultural traditions and folk customs but also promotes cultural exchanges and integration among different ethnic groups, contributing to strengthening ethnic unity and social stability.?
Fourth, huge potential for future development?
Increased policy support: The Xinjiang government will continue to strengthen policy support, providing more and more powerful support and guarantees for the development of the cultural tourism industry, promoting Xinjiang’s transformation from a major tourism resource region to a strong tourism economy region.?
Acceleration of cultural and tourism integration: In the future, Xinjiang will continue to deepen the integration of culture and tourism, deeply combining more cultural elements with tourism products and services that have regional characteristics to create more new tourism formats and products with cultural connotations and characteristics, further enhancing the value and attractiveness of folklore tourism in Xinjiang.?
In summary, the assessment results of the folklore tourism value in Xinjiang are very positive. Xinjiang boasts rich cultural resources and unique folk customs. The tourism market is developing rapidly, and supporting service facilities are constantly being improved. The value of folklore tourism is prominent, and there is huge potential for future development.?