Official: Xinjiang unrest hurts tourism, air transport

URUMQI, July 11 (Xinhua) -- Authorities in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region said Saturday both tourism and air transport have been hurt by the recent riot that left 184 dead in Urumqi, the regional capital.

Inamu Nisteen, chief of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Regional Department of Tourism, said at a news briefing hat because of Sunday's riot in Urumqi, 1,450 tour groups cancelled their plans to visit Xinjiang.

They involved 84,940 travelers, including 4,396 tourists from overseas.

At the moment, 54 tour groups, with 1,221 visitors, including 373 travelers from overseas, were still traveling in Xinjiang, said the tourism official.

Guan Wuping, head of the Xinjiang Branch with the General Administration of Civil Aviation of China, also said at the same news briefing that Sunday's unrest harmed civilian air transport in Xinjiang gravely.

"Air travels have dropped significantly after the Urumqi riot," said Guan. He did not give an exact figure.

Xinjiang has an area covering about 1.66 million square kilometers, comprising one-sixth of the Chinese territory. It has a population of about 21 million people. It is the largest region in China in terms of landmass.

There are now 14 airports in service in Xinjiang operating 114 air routes.