The band starts up, all twanging guitar and relentless drumming, as the stage is covered in colorful laser projections of nebulas.

 

The upbeat music mixed with cheering and singing pulses through the auditorium, reverberating through air filled with the pleasant scent of lavender blossoms. Anyone present would feel the rush of adrenaline.

 

That was the scene at a concert held on Monday near a lavender plantation in Yining county in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.

 

The concert, which featured a variety of performances from rock and folk to hip-hop, was aimed at bringing tourists to enjoy live music while promoting a picturesque view of the county's sea of lavender. Those who bought tickets also get free entry to scenic lavender areas this month.

 

"I'm really excited, the vibes of the concert are great," said Illidan Dulkun, who was among those in attendance.

 

The lively event epitomizes the recovery of Xinjiang's culture and tourism sector following the impact of the latest outbreak of COVID-19.

 

June marks the start of the peak tourism season in the region, during which visitors can taste delicious fruits, ride horses on vast grasslands, gaze at snowcapped mountains and watch performances by ethnic groups.

 

More than 200 cultural tourism activities, including a culture and tourism festival themed on Dolan and Qiuci culture held in Aksu prefecture, a marathon around Sayram Lake in Bortala Mongolian autonomous prefecture and horse-racing events in Zhaosu county, Ili Kazak autonomous prefecture, have been organized across Xinjiang over the past two months to stimulate the development of tourism and revitalize the market.

 

In addition, scenic routes have been designed to help motorists appreciate the natural wonders, historical sites and local customs along the region's section of the Silk Road.

 

The local government has also come up with a raft of preferential policies, including discounted or free tickets to scenic spots and better services for seniors, the disabled and other vulnerable groups.

 

Xinjiang received around 3.24 million tourists during the three-day Dragon Boat Festival holiday earlier this month, generating revenues of more than 1.8 billion yuan ($268 million), an increase of 28.48 percent over the Labor Day holiday last month.

 

The region's culture and tourism sector is recovering steadily from the latest outbreak of COVID-19.

 

It's a hard-earned achievement for Xinjiang, protecting its tourism sector while curbing the spread of the virus, said Hou Hanmin, deputy director of the regional culture and tourism department.

 

She added that Xinjiang will tap the potential of its cultural resources through performances of intangible cultural heritage and exhibitions of cultural artifacts to further boost the development of tourism.

 

Xinjiang has also been making efforts this year to attract investment to its cultural tourism sector.

 

More than 400 key projects, including some themed on winter tourism and the creation of online tourism platforms, have attracted investments totaling around 159 billion yuan.

 

Last month, the department set up a service platform focused on investment and financing to help companies interact with financial organizations.

 

Meanwhile, cultural tourism enterprises have been encouraged to collaborate with scenic areas to improve basic infrastructure and service quality, as well as to develop cultural and creative products.

 

For instance, the Xinjiang Culture and Tourism Investment Group signed a contract with Qitai county in the Changji Hui autonomous prefecture in March to help make the Jiangbrak scenic area into a 5A-rated attraction.

 

Sightseeing platforms, homestays, parks, toilets, wooden walkways and pavilions, tourist information and shopping centers, and highways that allow visitors to travel around Jiangbrak have been introduced, and employees have been trained in management and operations.

 

By optimizing and integrating tourism resources, Xinjiang aims to create more 4A－and 5A-rated scenic areas as a driving force to promote all-for-one tourism, said Zhou Hao, an official from the department's Resource Development Office.

 

He noted that applying for higher ratings for a scenic area is instrumental in raising the profile of the area and the region where it is located.

 

This also plays a leading role in revitalizing Xinjiang through tourism.

 

Currently, Xinjiang has 16 5A-rated scenic areas and 143 4A-rated areas, the most of the five regions and provinces in Northwest China－Shaanxi, Gansu, Qinghai, the Ningxia Hui autonomous region and Xinjiang.

 

Tourism is becoming a pillar industry driving Xinjiang's economic growth.

 

The number of domestic and foreign tourists coming to Xinjiang was just 48.6 million 10 years ago.

 

The great efforts to improve the region's basic infrastructure, upgrade tourism services and renovate attractions have led to remarkable growth in numbers.

 

In 2019, some 200 million tourists visited Xinjiang, generating revenues of around 345 billion yuan.

 

Over the past two years, the region has worked to accelerate the recovery of tourism following the epidemic and aims to receive 250 million tourists this year.

 

According to its 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25), Xinjiang will continue to construct destinations themed on the Silk Road cultures and ethnic groups, expand its capacity for tourists, encourage new businesses in such fields as rural tourism, agricultural sightseeing and winter tourism, and promote the use of information technology in tourism.

 

The regional government has set a goal of receiving 400 million tourists and tourism revenues of 280 billion yuan by 2025.