232 tourist sites in Xinjiang reopen to public

(ECNS) -- A total of 232 national A-level tourist sites in Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region have reopened to the public in an orderly manner as of Tuesday, including five 5A-level and 53 4A-level tourist attractions, according to a press conference held Wednesday.

Xinjiang encourages its scenic spots to attract tourists by issuing coupons for scenic spots, reducing or discounting tickets, said Liu Quan, a local official of culture and tourism department.

The department also suggested to develop short trips such as travelling within and around cities in the region, and to suburbs and rural areas. It said celebrations of various festivals will be held to attract tourists.

Now, 36 A-level tourist attractions in Turpan are free to its people and sell half-price tickets to those from other parts of Xinjiang, said Liu

Another preferential policies for travel agencies have been issued to stimulate local tourism as well, according to the press conference.

"A-level" refers to the rating categories used by Chinese authorities to determine the quality and service of a tourist attraction. There are altogether five categories from A to 5A, with 5A the highest level that refers to the most significant and best maintained tourist sites in the country.