Original title: Relying on the Spring Festival Gala and the effects of film and television dramas, Xinjiang deeply integrates the "culture+tourism" model to drive the development of tourism industry (introduction)

From "flow" to "reserve", why is Xinjiang so popular for tourism this year? Subject

Worker's Daily - reporter Wu Duosi of China Industrial Network Correspondent Ma Anne

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The popularity of Xinjiang's tourism industry is not an accident, but a comprehensive reflection of the deep integration and innovation of "shaping tourism with culture and highlighting culture with tourism".

A thousand student team, a thousand Hanfu team, a thousand martial arts team, a thousand cheongsam team, a thousand dance team... On May 19, the series activities of "Happy Life in China" and "May 19 China Tourism Day" in Aksu, Xinjiang were launched in the ancient city of Wensu. On that day, the ancient city of Wensu was crowded with tourists. Activities such as cultural and artistic performances and intangible cultural heritage project performances are brilliant. They closely combine the traditional culture, characteristic food, ethnic customs, sports events and characteristics of Akesu, give full play to the comprehensive driving function of "tourism+", and present multiple feasts of vision, hearing, taste and touch for tourists.

From the Spring Festival Gala on the New Year's Eve, if Xinjiang tourism can help, especially in Kashgar, it will receive 7.169 million domestic tourists in the first quarter of this year, realizing a tourism revenue of 6.008 billion yuan. By the time the weather got warmer, some netizens had not finished their strategy of "traveling in Kashgar". With the hot TV play My Altay coming to an end, Altay in northern Xinjiang has become a new tourist destination. According to statistics, since May 7, Buljin County in Altay region has received 445500 tourists in total, with a comprehensive tourism income of 402 million yuan.

Visit Kashgar in the south and Altay Grassland in the north. Many netizens have commented: "This year's tourism is wrapped up by Xinjiang!" In fact, the popularity of Xinjiang's tourism industry is not an accident, but a comprehensive reflection of the deep integration and innovation of "shaping tourism with culture, highlighting culture with tourism".

Beating the heart of "traveling to Xinjiang"

"After the addition of the 'Spring Festival Gala' venue, we are looking forward to going to Kashgar again." Urumqi citizen Jin Peng "May Day" took his family to Kashgar to clock in and feel the new changes after the Spring Festival Gala. "This time, we also saw an immersive performance, song and dance party, feeling more lively."

After the Spring Festival Gala, Kashgar retained the stage of the "Spring Festival Gala", made full use of the resources of the "evening party", integrated it with the ancient city, built it into a new landmark and new IP of Kashgar's cultural tourism, and launched a series of new businesses such as music festivals, concerts, tourism performances, immersive performances, etc. Only during the May Day holiday, Kashgar received 965600 person times and realized a tourism income of 814 million yuan.

"I came to Xinjiang for the first time, when I wanted to travel in Kashgar after watching the Spring Festival Gala." On May 12, Zhao Ning, who had just finished the half marathon of the "2024 Xinjiang Korla Marathon", packed up her luggage and stepped on the plane to Kashgar

Like Kashi, "My Altay" was also put on the screen and "ignited". "After the TV series started, I was shocked. Altay's beauty makes people yearn for it." Zhang Wenhao, who worked in Beijing, wanted to travel in Xinjiang two years ago. He originally planned to experience the exotic customs of Kashgar in summer and speed skating in winter. He didn't want to be forced to do a new "strategy" by a play. "He didn't want to give up any of them, but wanted to feel and experience them."

According to the data from several tourism platforms, from May 7 to 15, the search popularity of "Altay" increased 6 times over the same period of the previous year, during which the order volume of restaurants in Altay increased by more than 110% over the same period of the previous year.

In order to turn "traffic" into "reserve" for tourists, Altay has created 20 punch in points in the same type of scenes as Batai Tree, Fengxia Snack Shop, Wenxiu Bridge and Lonely Tree according to the film and television dramas, and launched five-day tours, eight day tours, eleven day tours, seventeen day tours and other boutique tourism routes with the theme of "traveling with film and television" to meet the needs of different tourists.

Whether it is chasing the evening party to visit the ancient city, or chasing the drama and light to go north to Altay, the beautiful scenery and unique folk customs of Xinjiang that have been put on the screen make more tourists feel the heartbeat of "traveling to Xinjiang".

Benefiting industries from cities to villages

"I didn't expect so many guests to come here." Maimaitimin Wufuer, who is over 80 years old, runs a special herbal tea shop in Hotan Tuancheng Scenic Area. Since the old city was transformed into a national 4A tourist attraction, tourists from all over the country have come to visit his shop, and the income is getting better and better.

Today, tourism is blooming everywhere in Xinjiang. From experiencing the leisure travel of the city to experiencing the unique flavor of the countryside, tourism brings more vitality to the city.

"Few young people stayed in the village in the past few years, and they all went out to work." said Ayimuhan Habuli, a villager in Yegtutobektoptierek Village, Burqin County. "In the past two years, there have been more tourists, and more and more villagers have returned home, packed up their yards, and opened homestays and farmhouses."

In 2018, Ayimu Khan began to take care of his own farm yard of more than 100 square meters. "If anyone comes, the yard must be beautiful and decent." Soon, her yard was full of fruits, apples, apricots, grapes. Later, she made the ripe fruit into jam, which attracted many tourists around. With the encouragement of tourists, in 2020, she vacated a room and opened a rural happy life. A year later, a small rural happy life increased Ayimu Khan's income by more than 40000 yuan.

Thirteen routes including Qitai's "Millennium Ancient City, Wonderful World" Spring Pastoral Ecological Tour have been selected as the national rural tourism boutique routes. When entering the countryside, many old houses are still intact. The "shabby" in the eyes of villagers has become a resource for tourism development.

In 2023, there will be 563 new travel agencies in Xinjiang, and nearly 25000 tour guides will increase their employment and income by engaging in tourism services. There are more than 370000 tourism business entities in Xinjiang. In particular, rural tourism not only revitalizes old villages, old houses and old yards, but also turns the passenger flow into the sales volume of agricultural and sideline products.

According to the data of Tianyan Survey, there are more than 8100 tourist homestays in Xinjiang, 48 key villages of rural tourism in China and 14 key towns of rural tourism in China. Only in the first three quarters of last year, Xinjiang received 80.5667 million rural tourists, realizing a rural tourism income of 27.833 billion yuan.

Create "living memory" that can be taken away

Nowadays, the meaning of tourism is constantly changing, and people pay more attention to the tourist city to meet their emotional needs and love.

Last year, Xinjiang added 14 4A level scenic spots, two national tourism and leisure blocks, two national industrial tourism demonstration bases, one national cultural industry and tourism industry integration development demonstration area, four national civilized tourism demonstration units, one national sports tourism demonstration base, and two national cultural industry enabled rural revitalization pilot counties, 13 routes have been selected as national rural tourism boutique routes

So, how can these star products meet the love and needs of tourists? In addition to improving the quality of tourism services and products, in Xinjiang, the recorded unique intangible cultural heritage experience and the ethnic handicrafts that can be taken away also give good answers.

"The bone carvings we made in the past are like collections with few consumers," said Gendeng Jiafu, a representative inheritor of Mongolian bone carvings in the intangible cultural heritage list project of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. With more than 30 years of research experience in bone carvings, he was deeply aware of "how to let more people know about bone carvings and local culture", for which he found many ways.

Until a tourism festival, when many tourists saw his bone carvings and asked for advice, Gendeng Gafu had the idea of "combining intangible cultural heritage skills with tourism, cultural and creative". He said: "In April this year, the first batch of cultural and creative products designed by us have gone to the market, and the response is very good. Later, we will design more styles to build our own brand."

The travel memories of "seeing, hearing, touching, smelling and tasting" are made into products to take home. In Xinjiang, the intangible cultural heritage skills and ethnic minority handicrafts that have been passed down from generation to generation can not only reflect the landscape culture of a city, but also become the carrier of "living memory" of tourists who have visited the city, creating unique tourism cards and industries.

"Last year, I went to the Kashgar tourist site to make a custom hot stamping, which is a portrait of our family, very lifelike and unique." Fan Lingling, a tourist from Sichuan, said, "Every time I see the portrait, I can think of that trip."

In the Yushan Wooden Handicraft Shop in Aishan, the ancient city of Kashi, there are a variety of wooden handicrafts, such as wooden spoons, wooden bowls, wooden toys, etc. Yushanjiang Yusu, surrounded by tourists, is painting on wooden plates with electric soldering irons. He has operated this wooden handicraft shop for more than 30 years, "There is no off-season, and we can earn about 20000 yuan a month. After the transformation of the ancient city, the craftsmen in our street have had a tourist meal."