Tourism to Xinjiang booms as China gives the region a makeover

China has repackaged Xinjiang into a tourist haven, touting "ethnic" experiences that activists say it's trying to erase.

Watch LiveBritish Broadcasting CorporationHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureArtsTravelEarthAudioVideoLiveDocumentariesHomeNewsIsrael-Gaza WarWar in UkraineUS & CanadaUKUK PoliticsEnglandN. IrelandN. Ireland PoliticsScotlandScotland PoliticsWalesWales PoliticsAfricaAsiaChinaIndiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastIn PicturesBBC InDepthBBC VerifySportBusinessExecutive LoungeTechnology of BusinessFuture of BusinessInnovationTechnologyScience & HealthArtificial IntelligenceAI v the MindCultureFilm & TVMusicArt & DesignStyleBooksEntertainment NewsArtsArts in MotionTravelDestinationsAfricaAntarcticaAsiaAustralia and PacificCaribbean & BermudaCentral AmericaEuropeMiddle EastNorth AmericaSouth AmericaWorld’s TableCulture & ExperiencesAdventuresThe SpeciaListTo the Ends of The Earth EarthNatural WondersWeather & ScienceClimate SolutionsSustainable BusinessGreen LivingAudioPodcast CategoriesRadioAudio FAQsVideoBBC MaestroLiveLive NewsLive SportDocumentariesHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureArtsTravelEarthAudioVideoLiveDocumentariesWeatherNewslettersWatch Live300 million tourists just visited China's stunning Xinjiang region. There's a side they didn't see3 days agoShareSaveKelly NgShareSaveGetty ImagesIn 2024, Xinjiang welcomed some 300 million visitors, more than double the number in 2018When Anna was planning her first visit to Xinjiang in 2015, her friends were perplexed.

"They couldn't understand why I'd visit a place that back then was considered one of China's most dangerous areas."

One of her friends pulled out of the trip and started "ghosting" her on WeChat, said the 35-year-old Chinese national, who did not want to reveal her real name.

"She said her parents forbade her from going anywhere near Xinjiang and did not want to engage further."

Anna went anyway, and returned this June. But it had changed, she says.