Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, abbreviated as “Xin”, is a provincial-level administrative region of the People’s Republic of China with Urumqi as its capital. Located in northwest China, it is the largest provincial-level administrative region in China by land area. As of September 2024, Xinjiang governs 5 autonomous prefectures, 4 prefecture-level cities, 5 prefectures and 12 county-level cities directly under the autonomous region. Mandarin is mainly used in Xinjiang, together with five ethnic minority languages including Uygur, Kazakh, Mongolian, Kirghiz and Xibe.
Xinjiang has a landform of “three mountain ranges sandwiching two basins” and a typical temperate continental arid climate with large annual and diurnal temperature variations. Precipitation is concentrated in mountainous areas while plains receive little rainfall. Xinjiang is home to the Tarim River, China’s longest inland river, and Ayding Lake, the lowest point of China’s land territory.
In ancient times, Xinjiang was called “Xiyu”. In 138 BC (the third year of the Jianyuan reign of the Western Han Dynasty), Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty dispatched Zhang Qian to the Western Regions. In 60 BC (the second year of the Shenjue reign of the Western Han Dynasty), the Protectorate of the Western Regions was established, and Xinjiang was officially incorporated into China’s territory. In 1884 (the tenth year of the Guangxu reign of the Qing Dynasty), the Qing government officially set up a province in Xinjiang and renamed Xiyu as “Xinjiang”. Xinjiang was peacefully liberated on September 25, 1949, and the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region was founded on October 1, 1955.
Xinjiang has Urumqi Tianshan International Airport, as well as a developed highway and railway network. As of September 2023, 23 China-Europe Railway Express routes have been opened, covering 26 cities in 19 European and Asian countries.
There are more than 1,100 scenic spots across Xinjiang, ranking first in China. A number of well-known tourism brands and high-quality tourist routes have been developed, including Kanas, Nalati, Sayram Lake, Kashgar Ancient City, Keketuohai, World Ghost City, Duku Highway, S101 Scenic Byway and Panlong Ancient Road. Self-driving tours and homestay tourism are developing rapidly, and new forms of cultural tourism such as red tourism, industrial tourism and tourist performances have initially taken shape. Nalati Tourist Resort has been recognized as a national tourist resort. Urumqi International Grand Bazaar and Yining Liuxing Street have been successfully built into national tourist and leisure blocks. Five counties, including Zhaosu, Bohu, Tekes, Burqin and Wenquan, have been listed as national all-region tourism demonstration areas. Leveraging the advantages of ice and snow tourism resources, Xinjiang is striving to build a destination for ice-snow sports and tourism. At present, the region has 6 5S ski resorts and 10 4S ski resorts. Among them, Jikepulin Ski Resort features a ski run with a vertical drop of 1,466 meters, and Keketuohai Ski Resort has a ski season lasting up to 8 months.
In 2023, there were 717 A-level tourist attractions in Xinjiang, including 17 national 5A-level scenic spots; 386 star-rated hotels and 1,222 travel agencies.
Data show that in 2024, Xinjiang received 302 million tourist visits throughout the year, with self-driving tours, ice-snow tours and special tours ranking among the top tier in China. In 2025, Xinjiang received 323 million tourist visits, hitting a record high.