The Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region in China’s Far West has become one of the country’s most popular tourist destinations as domestic travel bounces back following a series of Covid-19 outbreaks.

Hotel bookings in Xinjiang, which lies on the ancient Silk Road and boasts a rich cultural heritage as well as dramatic landscapes, surged 50% in July from the same period in 2019, online news outlet The Paper reported today, citing several online travel agencies.

Flight bookings to Xinjiang more than doubled between July 6 and July 19 from the same period in June, according to data from travel platform Qunar. Those to the capital Urumqi were up 110%, while those to the oasis border town of Kashgar jumped 90%.

B&B bookings surged nearly 80% between July 9 and July 15 from the same period last month and more than doubled from the same period a year ago, according to Tujia, China’s version of AirBnb.

Ticket sales to the region’s scenic spots more than doubled between July 9 and July 15 from a year ago, according to the country’s biggest online travel agent Ctrip.