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Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture of Xinjiang releases promotional film “This is Ili”
China’s Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture in Xinjiang is boosting its tourism promotions through the short film This is Ili. This is Ili is divided into four chapters: culture and inheritance, vitality and hope, poetry and painting, and openness and development. This essentially entices viewers to appreciate the beauty of the region’s magnificent scenery, harmony, and prosperity. The film also offers a panoramic view of the prefecture’s unique natural resources: the picturesque Nalati, the vast and magnificent Kalajun, as well as the beautiful and colourful Xiata. The vast grassland of the area serves as the backdrop for heartwarming folklore, as well as numerous regional crafts that include creative paper cutting and embroidery.
China Southern deploys Dreamliner to Xinjiang
China Southern Airlines is planning to deploy its Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft to Xinjiang, the restive region in the far west of China. According to an update on the Routes Online flight database, the airline will base its 787-8 Dreamliner at Urumqi's Diwopu International Airport in July 2017. This modern, twin-aisle jet will then be deployed on the airline’s daily flights from Urumqi, Xinjiang's capital city, to Beijing, Shanghai and Kashgar. China Southern operates 10 787-8s, all of which come fitted with 228 seats in three classes: four in first class, 24 in business class and 200 in economy. The airline also has outstanding orders for 12 larger 787-9s.
China develops 17 airports in Xinjiang
The Chinese government is planning to invest CNY14.4 billion (US$2.1bn) in the construction or expansion of 17 airports in the remote northwestern region of Xinjiang this year, Xinhua reports. The funding will include developments in key cities such as Urumqi and Kashgar, in an effort to position the region as the getaway between China and Central Asia. In terms of new airports, the first to be completed will be Shache Airport, in the southwest of the region. Xinjiang's largest hub and gateway to the world, Urumqi Diwopu International Airport (pictured), will add two runways and a new 450,000m² terminal building, boosting its capacity to 48 million passengers per year.
6 million + travel products sold during Fliggy 618 Summer Promotion
Responsive Image Fliggy concluded its 618 summer promotion with a 25% year-on-year (YoY) increase in Gross Merchandise Value (GMV) for promotional items. This year’s campaign saw a surge in consumer engagement, marked by approximately 30% more transacting users and an impressive 45% YoY increase in GMV for reserved items, solidifying the 618 event as a pivotal period for both travelers and merchants. During the promotion period, a record number of over 6 million travel products were sold, ranging from date-specific travel options to popular "Buy Now, Plan Later" offerings such as multi-trip flight passes, multi-use car rental passes, hotel packages, theme park tickets, and leisure activity bundles. To capture early summer demand, travel merchants leveraged Fliggy’s refined marketing strategies – including flash sales and livestreaming – which proved instrumental in driving significant growth. Over 30% of participating merchants doubled their GMV YoY, while the number of brands with sales exceeding RMB10 million and RMB1 million also saw substantial increases. Strong demand for calendar-based bookings Fixed-date travel products, particularly hotel calendar-rate bookings, saw robust demand during this period. Fliggy hosted multiple flash sales featuring prominent hospitality brands such as Marriott, Hilton, and Banyan Tree, alongside major domestic hotel groups including Wanda and Narada. This approach effectively enhanced member engagement, resulting in a 58% YoY increase in total room nights booked. One flash sale alone generated an additional 597 room nights for a single property. Livestreaming fuels transaction Livestream commerce played an increasingly vital role in this year’s campaign. Fliggy expanded its official livestream channels across various social media platforms, with promotional placements more than doubling YoY. This strategy not only boosted sales but also enabled merchants to build customer connections through brand appeal and unique offerings, rather than relying solely on price competition. The use of cross-channel livestreams contributed to a remarkable 130% YoY increase in GMV generated through this medium. These sessions, hosted by either professional e-commerce live streamers or travel influencers, provided valuable travel and hotel tips, and insights into niche travel trends, deeply engaging with experience-seeking consumers. The average order value (AOV) during the 618 promotion approached RMB5,000 per transaction, demonstrating customers’ willingness to invest in memorable travel experiences. Top travel destinations Domestically, the most popular destinations included Hainan, Guangdong, Zhejiang, Beijing, Yunnan, Jiangsu, Shanghai, Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia, and Sichuan, with the fastest growth observed in central and western regions such as Shanxi, Hubei, Henan, Inner Mongolia, and Xinjiang. For outbound travel, Japan, South Korea, the Maldives, Hong Kong SAR, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Australia, and the U.S. topped the list. Notably, long-haul destinations beyond a four-hour flight radius from China, including Fiji, Spain, the UAE, Switzerland, and Germany, also saw significant momentum. Travelers hailing from Zhejiang, Guangdong, Shanghai, Jiangsu, and Beijing led in summer travel planning, underscoring strong demand from China’s key economic hubs.
Asia mulls the growing importance of halal tourism
While halal travel is commonly something equated with the Middle East, travel professionals need to be aware that it also applies to other parts of the world, particularly South and Southeast Asia which both have sizeable Muslim populations. Indeed, an Al-Jazeera report from February of this year shows that the halal / Muslim-friendly tourism market is expected to grow to US$410.9 billion by 2032, nearly twice the total seen at the end of 2023. Crescent Rating, the leading global authority on halal travel, also pointed out that the number of Muslims travelling globally regardless of whether for business or leisure could hit 230 million by 2028. This rise, of course, is dependent on how rapidly different nations can launch and implement key initiatives to attract Muslim travellers, particularly amenities that take their religious practices into consideration on top of their dietary requirements. East Asia, in particular, needs to step up its game, given the rising number of Muslim travellers making their way to China, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan. Travel Daily Media was recently able to sit down with Crescent Ratings’ head of business development and events Daniswara Nugroho who shared his findings and insights on how East Asia can make travel more appealing to visitors from Islamic Southeast Asia and the Middle East. Working with East Asian hospitality providers Nugroho explained to us that Crescent Rating recently worked with the Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) in order to build up their Muslim-friendly service ecosystem from the ground up, an initiative which was spearheaded by the HKTB itself. As he recalls: “We did a seminar with their stakeholders, mostly the hoteliers, as well as main venues, attractions, and shopping malls throughout Hong Kong. We shared critical touchpoints with them regarding the needs of Muslim travellers.” Those in attendance at that talk were introduced with the Crescent Rating system which is used to evaluate establishments based on how Muslim-friendly they are. Nugroho said: “Along the way, we managed to rate 16 establishments in Hong Kong, and we noted that some of them have made improvements in their offerings, especially when it comes to halal food and the availability water in washrooms; some have even added bidets to their toilets.” However, Nugroho also pointed out that the adoption of more Muslim-friendly practices has been slow in both the Macau SAR and Mainland China. Indeed, it may still take some time for hotels and other establishments in Macau to come to the same level of halal-preparedness as their counterparts in Hong Kong. With regard to hospitality providers in the Chinese Mainland, Nugroho said: “We haven't been able to penetrate the Chinese market because, so far, we don't have a local partner or counterpart we could actually work with. But we are working on getting to the tourism boards in the country.” Interestingly, while China has had ethnic Muslim areas like the Uygur Autonomous Region of Xinjiang in the northwestern part of the country, it has been a challenge even for organisations like Crescent Rating to gain traction in the country. Crescent Ratings' Daniswara Nugroho addresses attendees at MITE 2025 in Macau On cruises and measures in other parts of the region In recent months, regional cruises have begun to become more popular among Asian travellers, especially following the brand refresh for Star and Dream Cruises in March of this year. When asked if regional cruise lines were beginning to adopt halal-centric practices, Nugroho replied with a resounding yes. Nugroho explained: “We’ve worked with Resorts World Cruises [the previous brand identity for StarCruises] in Singapore, and we’ve actually rated them based on how Muslim-friendly they are. To date, one of their cruises is already Muslim-friendly.” Indeed, some vessels like StarCruises’ Star Voyager are already equipped with facilities like halal kitchens that offer menus specific to a Muslim clientele; during our coverage of the Star Voyager’s maiden voyage in March, we noted that specific dishes were offered to such guests at the appropriate times for both iftar at sunset and suhoor before dawn. Nugroho added: “ We are currently (3:46) launching another cruise in Antarctica with Albatros Expeditions, and we’re going to set plans early next year with them. It's going to be Muslim-friendly, so it means that they have bidets for washing, as well as halal food. And, yes: they will also have a prayer room.” Beyond the cruise sector, the proliferation of halal-friendly amenities is already being seen in countries like the Philippines which has its own Muslim population in its southern provinces, and where hotel management companies like Megaworld have already made significant inroads towards inclusivity. Naturally, such amenities are already available in nations that are predominantly Muslim like Brunei, Indonesia, and Malaysia, with hotels and attractions offering wash areas, prayer rooms, religion-compliant menus, and even regular calls to prayer within their premises. However, Nugroho said that there is still much work to be done: tourism-heavy nations like Thailand and Vietnam still lack much of the necessities required by Muslim travellers, but organisations like Crescent Rating are already in talks with relevant authorities to ensure that the right measures will be set in place some time in the future.
Fliggy releases travel insights for this year’s Dragon Boat Festival holiday
Alibaba Group’s online travel services platform Fliggy just released insights into travel trends for the 2025 Dragon Boat Festival holiday. This latest report reveals a sustained demand for high-quality travel experiences throughout the Chinese mainland, as well as the country’s special autonomous regions of Hong Kong and Macau. Data shows that bookings for customised domestic tours are up by over 50 percent year-on-year (YoY), while domestic hotel packages combining accommodation with entertainment and dining options grew by 20 percent. Likewise, travellers were spending more in the leadup to the holiday, with average expenses on tickets, camping experiences, and chartered tours rising by 8.8 percent compared to last year's holiday period. In for stays and cultural immersion This year, many travelers opted for visits to theme parks or resorts with family and friends. As a result, ticket sales for major attractions and theme parks on the first day of the holiday increased by 25 percent YoY, while comprehensive packages that included dining and entertainment experienced a remarkable 140 percent surge in bookings. With southern China entering its rainy season, the hot and humid weather led many travelers to enjoy hotel-based retreats. Properties enhanced their offerings with traditional festival activities, such as making zongzi (glutinous rice dumplings), handcrafting five-color bracelets, and creating aromatic sachets, attracting guests seeking cultural experiences. Among all accommodation types, luxury resorts and boutique homestays recorded particularly strong booking growth during the holiday period. This year saw the increased popularity of closer destinations During the three-day holiday, travelers favored short-distance road trips and nearby getaways. According to Fliggy data, domestic car rental bookings jumped by approximately 30 percent YoY, with flexible pickup and return options proving particularly popular. Top self-drive destinations included Urumqi, Chengdu, Sanya, Haikou, and Beijing. On the other hand, the most popular domestic destinations included Shanghai, Beijing, Hangzhou, Chengdu, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Nanjing, Chongqing, Xi'an, and Wuhan. Meanwhile, emerging locations such as Beitun (Xinjiang), Jincheng (Shanxi), Qiongzhong (Hainan), Qingyuan (Guangdong), Wuwei (Gansu), Nujiang (Yunnan), Dezhou (Shandong), Fangchenggang (Guangxi), and Kaifeng (Henan) showed the fastest booking growth, alluring travelers with their unique cultural and natural attractions in less crowded environments. For outbound travel, the most sought-after destinations included Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong SAR, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, Singapore, France, Indonesia, and the United States, with short-haul flights (under four hours) being particularly popular. Notably, countries such as Poland, Iceland, Finland, Bhutan, Uzbekistan, Laos, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Tanzania, and Georgia experienced substantial growth in bookings, drawing travelers with their pleasant climates and distinctive cultural offerings.
Could halal-friendly destinations draw Malaysian tourists to China?
In a bid to boost its pandemic-stricken tourism sector, Chinese tourism professionals seek to draw in Malaysian tourists with halal-friendly travel packages. Not only does this move aim to uplift the travel industry, but it will also deepen diplomatic and economic ties with one of Southeast Asia’s largest Muslim nations. The move itself is timely thanks to the current surge in Malaysian interest in various tourist destinations in China born of recently eased visa regulations. Over the past year, industry analysts noted a 20 percent increase in the number of Muslim-Malay travellers making their way to China, specifically to historically Islamic regions like Xinjiang and Ningxia. Stronger demand at trade fairs Just last week at this year’s Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA) Fair, observers noticed a strong demand for Chinese travel packages, a third of which aimed for the attention of Malaysian Muslims. According to MATTA president Nigel Wong: “The post-pandemic era and China’s lifting of travel restrictions [are the factors driving] this surge. With increasing awareness of halal-friendly facilities and food options, destinations like Xinjiang, Xi’an and Ningxia are becoming prime locations for Muslim tourists.” The rise in interest coincides with enhanced visa agreements between China and Malaysia. These were first announced during Chinese Premier Li Qiang’s state visit to the country back in June to commemorate 50 years of diplomatic relations between the two nations. More recently, Tourism Malaysia took 200 participants from Chinese online tourism platform JD.COM on a FAM tour of various Malaysian destinations, particularly in Kuala Lumpur, Negeri Sembilan, and Melaka, to help them draw Chinese travellers into the Southeast Asian country.
Travel platform Fliggy releases 2024 summer travel report
Online travel platform and Alibaba Group subsidiary Fliggy released its Summer Travel Report for this year, revealing significant year-on-year growth in average booking volume and spending per consumer. This upward trend is consistent with patterns observed during the Labor Day and Dragon Boat Festival holidays, further reflecting travelers' growing desire for immersive experiences. Fliggy also announced that its Summer Protection services have provided protection to nearly one million travelers this season. The platform's vice-president Zhang Chen said, "Our latest report shows the trend of travelers opting for higher-quality activities and personalised travel products is becoming a reality and the new norm. [We] remain attuned to market trends and committed to delivering enriching experiences for all our customers, [and] will continue to enhance our offerings, expand the travel product portfolio, and reinforce service protection measures to meet the evolving needs of travelers." Quality in domestic travel Fliggy's data indicates a significant increase in demand for premium travel services. The average booking per consumer for four- and five-star hotels, package tours, and car rentals in the domestic market have all shown impressive year-on-year growth. Domestic package tour bookings have seen double-digit growth and bookings for directly-operated brand hotels have risen by approximately 30 percent following a strong rebound in bookings last summer. Self-driving tours are increasingly popular, with domestic car rental bookings rising by 60 percent year-on-year. Families are also renting cars to explore more far-flung destinations such as Altay in Xinjiang, the Lesser Khingan Mountains, or the Qinghai-Gansu Grand Loop. In Northern and Western China, popular destinations like Heihe, Alar and Bijie have seen car rental bookings increase by over 200 percent compared to last year. The release of the Chinese video game Black Myth: Wukong also drove tourism to its featured locations, including the Yungang Grottoes and the Hanging Temple in Shanxi province. Likewise, the Fliggy report shows that ticket bookings for scenic spots in Shanxi Increased by over 60 percent year-on-year, while car rental bookings have risen by more than 130 percent. Independent experiences dominate outbound travel Independent travel continues to lead the outbound travel market this summer, representing over 80 percent of total bookings. Consumers are seeking immersive local experiences, such as visiting historic sites and dining at Michelin-starred restaurants. The transaction volume for international cruises and car rentals has increased over 20 and 5 times year-on-year, respectively.
Minor Hotels brings luxury brands Tivoli and NH to northwest China
Minor Hotels (China) announced the official signing of a Tivoli and NH dual-branded property in Yining, Xinjiang. This marks the debut of the luxury Tivoli Hotels & Resorts and upscale NH Hotels & Resorts brands in Northwest China. When it opens in 2026, the project is expected to welcome guests from around the globe. Minor Hotels CEO Dillip Rajakarie refers to the project as the first dual-branded property of Tivoli and NH Hotels in Northwest China in the region. Rajakarie added: “With such high profiles and strong reputations throughout Europe, we are confident that the Tivoli and NH brand offerings will appeal to both Chinese and international travellers.” Minor Hotels vice-president for operations and development in China Eddy Tiftik added that the new establishment will be an economic boon to the region. Tiftik said: “The establishment of Tivoli and NH hotels in Yining is expected to significantly improve the local hotel industry landscape, attracting more visitors and contributing meaningfully to the economic development of Yining and the entire Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture.” An interesting new development The Tivoli and NH hotels are strategically located near local tourist attractions and the central business district. The ease of access via highways, high-speed trains, and flights enhances its appeal. The project, covering 1.6 million square meters, will offer diverse functionalities and include 200 guest rooms for each of the Tivoli and NH brands, as well as a commercial zone, a cultural performance centre, and residential areas. Most notably, the performance centre will host regular music and dance shows, while the commercial area, inspired by the designs intrinsic to the original Silk Road, aims to create an exotic shopping and leisure venue.
Greater Bay Airlines welcomes the expansion of Individual Visit Scheme to eight cities
Greater Bay Airlines CEO Liza Ng welcomes the Central Government’s further enhancement of the Individual Visit Scheme to cover Taiyuan in Shanxi Province, Hohhot in Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Harbin in Heilongjiang Province, Lhasa in Tibet Autonomous Region, Lanzhou in Gansu Province, Xining in Qinghai Province, Yinchuan in Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region and Urumqi in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, in response to the proposal of the Hong Kong SAR Government. She is confident that the initiative will further help boost the development of various industries and the overall economy of Hong Kong, leveraging the strong recovery of the tourism industry in the past year.
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