When Anna planned her first trip to Xinjiang in 2015, her friends expressed bewilderment.
“They couldn’t understand why I’d visit a place then considered one of China’s most dangerous,” she recounts.
One friend withdrew from the trip and began “ghosting” her on WeChat, according to the 35-year-old Chinese national, who requested anonymity.
“She said her parents forbade her from going anywhere near Xinjiang and didn’t want further contact.”
Anna proceeded with her visit and returned this June, noting significant changes.
“Xinjiang was as beautiful as I remembered, but now overwhelmed by tourists, especially at major attractions.”
For years, Xinjiang faced unrest under Beijing’s governance, sometimes escalating into violence, deterring many domestic tourists. Subsequently, it gained notoriety due to allegations of Chinese authoritarianism, including the detention of over a million Uyghur Muslims in “re-education camps” and claims of crimes against humanity, as reported by the United Nations.
China denies these allegations, maintaining limited access for international media and observers, while exiled Uyghurs continue to share accounts of fearful or missing relatives.
Despite this, Xinjiang has recently emerged as a tourist hotspot, attracting both domestic and international visitors. Beijing has invested billions in infrastructure development, supported TV dramas showcasing the region’s landscapes, and occasionally hosted foreign media on carefully managed tours.
The region is being rebranded as a tourist haven, emphasizing its beauty and unique “ethnic” experiences, even as rights groups allege efforts to erase these very aspects.
Located in China’s northwest, Xinjiang borders eight countries. Historically, it served as a vital hub along the Silk Road, fostering trade between East and West. Its towns are rich in history, and it boasts remote mountains, majestic canyons, lush grasslands, and pristine lakes.
“The views exceeded my expectations,” says Sun Shengyao from Singapore, who visited in May 2024, describing it as “New Zealand, Switzerland, and Mongolia combined.”
Unlike most of China, which has a Han majority, Xinjiang is predominantly populated by Turkic-speaking Muslims, with Uyghurs being the largest ethnic group. Tensions escalated in the 1990s and 2000s as Uyghur claims of marginalization fueled separatist sentiments and violent attacks, leading to intensified crackdowns by Beijing.
Under Xi Jinping, the Chinese Communist Party has tightened control, prompting allegations of forced assimilation of Uyghurs into Han Chinese culture. During a September visit, Xi lauded the region’s “earth-shattering” development and advocated for the “Sinicisation of religion,” aligning beliefs with Chinese culture and society.
Investment has surged into the region, with around 200 international hotels, including prominent brands like Hilton and Marriott, either operating or planning to open in Xinjiang.
In 2024, Xinjiang welcomed approximately 300 million visitors, more than double the number in 2018, according to Chinese authorities. Tourism revenue grew by about 40% to reach 360 billion yuan ($51 billion; £39 billion). In the first half of this year, around 130 million tourists visited, generating approximately 143 billion yuan in revenue.
While foreign tourism is increasing, the majority of visitors are domestic.
Beijing has set an ambitious target: over 400 million visitors annually and 1 trillion yuan in tourism revenue by 2030.
Some remain hesitant to visit. Mr. Sun notes that it took time to convince friends to join his May 2024 trip due to safety concerns. He himself felt apprehensive initially, but those feelings subsided during the trip.
They began in the bustling streets of Urumqi, the regional capital, and then spent eight days traveling through mountains and steppes with a Chinese driver, leaving Mr. Sun in awe.
Typically, drivers and tour guides in Xinjiang are Han Chinese, who now comprise about 40% of the region’s population. Mr. Sun’s group had limited interaction with local Uyghurs, but those they spoke with were “very welcoming,” he says.
Since returning, Mr. Sun has become an advocate for Xinjiang, which he believes is “misunderstood” as dangerous and tense. “If I can inspire just one person to learn more about the province, I would have helped reduce the stigma a little.”
The stunning sights he experienced as a tourist seemed disconnected from the troubling allegations in global headlines. He observed pervasive surveillance, with frequent police checkpoints and security cameras, and restrictions requiring foreigners to stay in designated hotels.
However, Mr. Sun remained unfazed: “There is heavy police presence, but that’s not necessarily a big problem.”
Not all tourists are convinced they are seeing the “real” Xinjiang.
Thenmoli Silvadorie from Singapore, who visited with friends for 10 days in May, says, “I was very curious about Uyghur culture and wanted to see how things differed. But we were quite disappointed.”
She and her friends wore hijabs, and she recalls Uyghur food vendors expressing “envy that we could freely wear our hijabs… but we didn’t have very deep conversations.” They were also restricted from visiting most local mosques, she adds.
Despite this, the allure for foreign visitors remains strong. China is a highly popular destination, and Xinjiang has emerged as a less commercialized option.
The state-run Global Times reported in May that a growing number of foreigners are “approaching Xinjiang with open minds and a genuine desire to see and assess the truth for themselves.”
The party has also promoted content by foreign influencers that aligns with the state’s narrative. For example, German vlogger Ken Abroad claimed in one video that he’d seen “more mosques [in Xinjiang] than in the US or any countries in Europe.”
However, others offer a different perspective. Writer Josh Summers, who lived in Xinjiang in the 2010s, told the BBC that Kashgar’s Old Town was “completely torn down, reimagined, and rebuilt in a way that doesn’t reflect Uyghur culture in any way.”
According to a 2024 Human Rights Watch report, hundreds of villages in Xinjiang had their names—related to Uyghur religion, history, or culture—replaced between 2009 and 2023. The group also accused authorities of closing, destroying, and repurposing mosques in Xinjiang and across China to curb the practice of Islam.
Grave rights violations have been documented by other international organizations, including the UN. BBC reporting from 2021 and 2022 presented evidence of detention camps, sexual abuse allegations, and forced sterilization.
Beijing denies these accusations. Domestically, the party is reshaping the image of what was once seen as a troubled province to attract more tourists, and this strategy seems to be working.
When Anna returned for her second visit, she was accompanied by her mother, who was eager to see the mountainous Altay prefecture in the north after watching a government-funded drama series, “To the Wonder,” promoted on state media.
Altay has gained popularity on the Chinese internet. “Who would have known that I’d wander into God’s secret garden in Altay? At Ka Nasi Lake, I finally understood what it means to be in paradise. This is a place where the romance of mountains, rivers, lakes, and the seas are woven together,” reads one comment on RedNote.
Another comment reads: “At dawn, I watch from the guesthouse as the cattle graze the fields. Golden birch forests glow in the sunlight, and even the air seems wrapped in sweetness – such undisturbed beauty is the Altay I’ve always longed for.”
Travel agencies describe the region as “exotic” and “mysterious,” offering a “magical fusion of nature and culture you won’t experience anywhere else in China,” according to The Wandering Lens. Prices for these tours vary, with a 10-day trip costing between US$1,500 and US$2,500 (£1,100-1,900), excluding flights.
A typical itinerary for the north includes Kanas National Park, alpine lakes, the popular five-coloured beach, and visits to Uyghur villages with carriage rides and interactions with Uyghur families.
Adventures in the south often involve desert drives, lake excursions, and visits to Kashgar, a 2,000-year-old Silk Road city.
Visitors share their itineraries online, including color-coded route maps and photos of Uyghur delicacies like “big plate chicken,” grilled lamb skewers, and horse milk wine. Some mention “hours-long performances that recreate the splendor of the Silk Road.”
Searching for Xinjiang on social media platforms like RedNote and Weibo reveals posts praising its beauty and architecture, with no mention of allegations that contradict this idyllic image.
Currently, Chinese social media is filled with photographs of Xinjiang’s poplar forests in autumn’s amber light.
The Communist Party is “selling its own version of Uyghur culture by presenting Uyghur people as tourist attractions,” says Uyghur-American Irade Kashgary, who left the region in 1998.
“They are telling the world we’re no more than dancing, colorful folk who look good on social media.”
Watching her hometown’s growing popularity from across the Pacific, Ms. Kashgary urges tourists to “recognize the serious issues” in Xinjiang.
“It’s not my place to tell people not to visit, but they need to realize that what they experience there is a whitewashed version of [Xinjiang],” she says.
“Meanwhile, people like me will never be able to go back because of our activism. It is far too dangerous… and yet, why can’t I? This is my homeland.”
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