Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region plans to invest 880 million yuan (about 124.3 million U.S. dollars) this year to promote construction and update of tourism service facilities, according to local authorities.

The projects that the autonomous region plans to invest in include 73 projects in tourist attractions and 21 tourism-related construction projects of public service facilities.

The city of Turpan in Xinjiang will invest in 11 tourism projects and 39 other projects this year to solve the problems of parking, refueling and communication for tourists.

The Altay region in Xinjiang will also promote the construction of tourism projects in museums, ski resorts and exhibition centers, and other facilities, including highways.

'Xinjiang people travel in Xinjiang'

As the current epidemic prevention and control rules have become the new norm in daily life, the Xinjiang government has gradually opened its tourist attractions and has ushered in a small upsurge in flower-viewing tours, self-driving tours, and walking tours since March 12.

According to Workers Daily, the current domestic tourism sector around the nation features mostly short-distance trips, due to different precaution and prevention rules still in place to contain the coronavirus.

"Because of the epidemic, people seldom went out [over the past months]. Now that spring is blooming, just walking around in Xinjiang makes me feel relaxed and refreshed," Amat Abbas, a local resident said.

Major scenic attractions and ski resorts in Xinjiang now have free admission, and others have half-price entry for locals in order to promote the "Xinjiang people travel in Xinjiang" theme.

"Although I was born and raised in Xinjiang, there are still many places I haven't been to. This year, I will utilize the preferential policy for medical staff to get free tickets, and go all the places I want to go," Liu Ming, a nurse in a hospital in Changji, said.

But there are still some restrictions in place to prevent another round of coronavirus outbreak.

In the Shuanghe City Guaishiyu Scenic Area, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the Health Commission released a statement setting tourism industry standards during the epidemic. The statement said the maximum crowd size in an open area should not exceed 400 people at the same time, and no more than 100 vehicles are allowed to park in a 150-seat parking lot.

(With input from Xinhua)