China's inbound and outbound travels boomed this summer, boosted by summer break and visa facilitation policies.
The enthusiasm for outbound travel is running high among Chinese travelers, with passenger flow staying at high levels in many major airports.
The Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport in east China's Zhejiang Province for instance saw continuous streams of outbound travelers in July.
"This is my first time traveling abroad. It is mainly to use the summer break to take the kids on a trip outside the country, to see the world. We are going to Bangkok and Pattaya this time," said Wang, a traveler.
The airport also saw the volume of inbound summer travelers surging by nearly 50 percent comparing to the same period last year. The airport is also set to open a special corridor service for connections from international to domestic flights which are time-saving for international travelers, while airlines have expanded summer travel options by adding new routes.
Travels between the mainland and the special administrative regions - Hong Kong and Macao, are also bustling. The Gongbei Port in Zhuhai City, a land port on the border between south China's Guangdong Province and the Macao Special Administrative Region, saw an average daily passenger flow of more than 300,000 in recent days.
Macao has rolled out seasonal cultural events and shopping discounts to cater summer vacationers from the mainland.
"I'm taking my kid for a tour of Hong Kong and Macao while he is on summer break. We will go for sightseeing in some attractions and then taste local dainties," said Li, a traveler from the mainland.
China's inbound, outbound travels heat up in summer
A popular food street in Urumqi, the capital city of northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, has gone viral for its authentic Xinjiang cuisine so far this summer.
The Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region has a vast territory, a multi-ethnic population, and a delectable cuisine. Almost every Xinjiang dish can be found at the food street. With its affordable prices and authentic taste, it's been the hottest food street on social media since last year.
"We are from Foshan, Guangdong Province. We followed the guide on social media to this street. The food here is very delicious," said a tourist.
Delicious food is the magic magnet here. Merchants from Hotan in southern Xinjiang have settled here since the 1960s, bringing their local cuisine with them. The street is named after the city. This community has also become a paradise for local foodies, who come from more than 20 Chinese ethnic groups, such as Uyghur, Kazakh, Hui and Han.
"We are five brothers, we're from Hotan. Our beef and mutton are freshly delivered from northern Xinjiang every morning. We only provide the highest quality food for everyone," said Aysajan, a restaurant owner.
Tourism in Xinjiang has soared in recent years. In the first half of this year, Xinjiang received more than 11 million tourist visits, an increase of 16 percent year on year. The huge number of tourist visits has also stretched the resources of this ordinary residential area. Community workers have set up service stations to provide water, medical kits, AEDs (automated external defibrillators) and so on to tourists.
"Hotan Street is only 600 meters long, has 192 shops. Now we are restricting vehicles from 12 in the morning to 12 noon, and we arranged six restrooms especially for tourists," said Sun Yingying, community Communist Party committee secretary of Hotan Street.
"We have become very popular since March last year. We originally made lamb barbecue buns, but tourists prefer beef, so we changed to beef. We haven't raised prices ever and will not in the future," said Alpha, a restaurant owner.
Xinjiang has lots of hidden treasures for tourism. The sudden wave brought by social media is also pushing the local government to continuously improve services for tourists, and keeping up the vitality of the tourism economy.
Famous food street in northwest China's Xinjiang improves services to attract tourists
