Amid security crackdown, Xinjiang weighs cash incentive to revive tourism
After terror attacks, officials hope to lure tour groups back with offer of 500 yuan to each individual; 55 sentenced at large stadium rally
Officials in Xinjiang are considering offering each tourist 500 yuan (HK$630) as part of an effort to revive the region's flagging tourism industry, state media have reported.
Regional authorities are seeking to project an image of stability following a series of violent attacks. On Tuesday, dozens of people were sentenced in a large rally held in a stadium in a city near the Kazakhstan border.
Tourist intake has fallen by 40 per cent since last year, China Radio International reported.
"Many tourists went skiing and skating in Xinjiang during the winter, but since the deadly knife attack in Kunming in March, many have postponed their tour to Xinjiang," the region's tourism chief, Inam Nesirdin, was quoted as saying. No details were given on how the cash would be paid to tourists.
In a display reminiscent of the mainland's revolutionary-era rallies, 55 people were sentenced for crimes including terrorism, separatism and murder before a crowd of 7,000 at a sports stadium in Yining, state media reported.
Photographs showed packed stadium stands and trucks parked on the field loaded with prisoners in orange vests, guarded by armed police.