On June 17, the 2026 Xinjiang International Travel Agent Conference officially opened in Hotan, Northwest China’s Xinjiang, under the theme “Gather at Kunlun, Win Along the Silk Road.” Bringing together approximately 460 travel trade representatives and industry guests from 23 countries as well as Hong Kong SAR, China, the conference serves as a comprehensive platform to support Xinjiang in building a new pattern of open cultural and tourism development characterized by region-wide integration, year-round development, and global connectivity. More than a global showcase of Xinjiang’s cultural and tourism offerings, the event represents a key step in implementing the strategies of “Rejuvenating Xinjiang Through Tourism” and “Enriching Xinjiang with Culture,” while advancing the entire industry chain of Xinjiang’s inbound tourism.

Going Global by Region-Wide Integration: Building International Pathways Through Multi-Dimensional Collaboration

At the conference, Guli Ablim, Deputy Secretary of the Party Leadership Group and Director-General of the Department of Culture and Tourism of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, shared with overseas guests the year-round charm of Xinjiang—the “Pearl of the Silk Road”—through its breathtaking landscapes, rich cultural heritage, diverse ethnic traditions, and thriving tourism industry. Wang Zibin, Secretary of the Party Leadership Group and Director-General of the Culture, Sports, Radio, Television and Tourism Bureau of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, shared the inspiring stories of the Corps, highlighting its distinctive red revolutionary heritage and offering audiences an immersive glimpse into a modern agricultural homeland where people and nature coexist in harmony. Aert, Deputy Secretary of the Party Leadership Group and Director-General of the Sports Bureau of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, presented a range of major sporting events across the region, showcasing Xinjiang’s integrated development model of “culture and tourism + sports.” Through these diverse promotional activities, Xinjiang demonstrated the full value of its region-wide cultural and tourism resources to international markets, further strengthening its efforts to take its tourism brand global while attracting more international visitors.

During the signing ceremony, six international travel agencies and six Xinjiang-based cultural and tourism enterprises signed strategic cooperation agreements. These partnerships not only address the challenge of fragmented inbound tourism cooperation but also help establish a stable overseas visitor referral network, supporting sustained growth in inbound tourist arrivals throughout the year. The subsequent business matchmaking sessions further deepened the model of “local engagement and targeted cooperation.” With resource sharing as the foundation and supply-demand alignment as the core,this approach helps break down barriers to cultural and tourism collaboration within and beyond Xinjiang, injecting fresh momentum into the Silk Road cultural and tourism economy.

While advancing the international promotion of Xinjiang’s tourism brand, the conference also invited eight leading domestic and international experts from the cultural and tourism sector to share insights on key issues such as transportation connectivity, tourism product development, and service enhancement. Their recommendations will support Xinjiang’s transformation from a transit hub along the Silk Road into a world-class destination sought after by travelers from around the globe.

Government-Enterprise Collaboration Launches Xinjiang’s Global Tourism Journey

In recent years, guided by the dual strategies of “Rejuvenating Xinjiang Through Tourism” and “Enriching Xinjiang with Culture,” Xinjiang has introduced 22 specific measures across seven key areas, including optimizing visa and border clearance policies, promoting deeper integration between aviation and tourism, enriching tourism product offerings, improving comprehensive service convenience, strengthening overseas marketing, enhancing tourism safety management, and increasing policy support. These measures have comprehensively boosted the sound and orderly development of inbound and border tourism. According to the regional government work report, Xinjiang received a total of 2.3615 million inbound visitor arrivals in 2025, generating international tourism revenue of US$2.065 billion, representing year-on-year increases of 5.65% and 6.16%, respectively.

Against this backdrop of sound industrial growth momentum, the long-term strategic cooperation between Trip.com Group and Xinjiang’s cultural and tourism sector has been fully delivered, paving the way for the launch of the 2026 Xinjiang International Travel Agent Conference. Leveraging the extensive global partner network built through the event, Xinjiang has further expanded its international marketing and communication reach. The business matchmaking sessions have also facilitated cooperation between domestic and overseas tourism industry stakeholders and Xinjiang-based enterprises, effectively supporting the innovation and upgrading of inbound tourism products. The conference provides a replicable and sustainable model for the development of inbound tourism across western China.

Looking ahead, Xinjiang will continue to strengthen tourism resource sharing, expand cultural and tourism openness, refine its portfolio of inbound tourism products and region-wide international service system, and further enhance its global standing as a world-class Silk Road tourism destination. In doing so, it will write a brand-new chapter for the high-quality development of culture and tourism in the core area of the Silk Road Economic Belt.

Photos courtesy of the Department of Culture and Tourism of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region

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