(Yicai Global) July 21 -- The Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in China’s Far West has become one of the country’s most popular tourist destinations as domestic travel bounces back following a series of Covid-19 outbreaks.

Hotel bookings in Xinjiang, which lies on the ancient Silk Road and boasts a rich cultural heritage as well as dramatic landscapes, surged 50 percent in July from the same period in 2019, online news outlet The Paper reported today, citing several online travel agencies.

Flight bookings to Xinjiang more than doubled between July 6 and July 19 from the same period in June, according to data from travel platform Qunar. Those to the capital Urumqi were up 110 percent, while those to the oasis border town of Kashgar jumped 90 percent.

B&B bookings surged nearly 80 percent between July 9 and July 15 from the same period last month and more than doubled from the same period a year ago, according to Tujia, China’s version of AirBnb. An average of CNY495 (USD73) was spent per booking, same as during peak periods.

Ticket sales to the region’s scenic spots more than doubled between July 9 and July 15 from a year ago, according to the country’s biggest online travel agent Ctrip.

The Duku Highway, said to be one of the most beautiful routes in China set up high in the Tianshan mountains, is experiencing congestion, said Mu Xilin, a landlord who runs a hostel along the expressway. It can take four to five hours to drive 10 kilometers and in some sections it can take six to seven hours to drive this distance.

His hostel in the Narathi area has been fully booked from the end of June to early August. Some self-driving tourists are having to sleep in their cars because they did not book accommodation in advance, he added.

Editor: Kim Taylor