Northwest China broadening tourist appeal

China Southern also operates three routes within Xinjiang. The carrier said it plans to launch more themed flights to Altay and enable more passengers to experience the ethnic minority culture and local customs on the planes.

Themed flights include the offering of special food such as cheese and sea buck-thorn juice, with flight attendants in ethnic clothing interacting with passengers in some interesting question and answer sessions. The cabin is also decorated with elements of the series of To the Wonder, China Southern said.

Teng Congcong, director of To the Wonder, said she directed the series with a female perspective and delicate emotional expressions, and it has showcased the spirit of northern Xinjiang herders. She expects that Xinjiang, a place with a magnificent landscape, will attract more travelers.

By 2035, the average number of flights taken per person annually and the number of people who have experienced taking flights are expected to double over levels seen in 2019, according to a plan by the Civil Aviation Administration of China.

Since last year, a number of small cities in China, such as Zibo in Shandong province and Tianshui in Gansu, have become popular tourism destinations with their delicious barbecues and malatang, or spicy hot pot, and more county-level cities are starting to focus on developing their cultural and tourism markets.

"With increased travel demand to small cities and the growth of local spending power, it is estimated that the number of regional flights that connect major cities and small cities will be further increased," Xiao of Qunar said.

"Such flights will allow more people who have never taken flights to have the opportunity, and enable people who live in major cities to visit more smaller cities," he added.

Meanwhile, domestic companies have increased efforts to build more high-quality accommodation in Northwest China.

China's largest online travel agency Trip.com Group and the Nalati scenic area in Xinjiang together built a rural resort in Altay, which started operating in late June. This is the seventh rural resort built by Trip.com in Xinjiang.

The rural resort, located 10 kilometers from a top-level ski resort, is surrounded by rivers, mountains and grasslands, and is expected to help upgrade the quality of local accommodations, the travel agency said.

So far, Trip.com has launched 31 rural resorts nationwide, and local employees account for 80 percent of the staff members. Thus, it has helped increase the per capita annual income of rural areas by more than 40,000 yuan.