Xinjiang growing as tourist destination for Hongkongers amid travel sector push

AI Summary

Xinjiang is emerging as a popular travel destination for Hongkongers, with young visitors attracted to cultural and educational tours. Organized trips like the Solar Project aim to showcase the region's development and heritage beyond common stereotypes.

Hong Kong student Angel Lau Yin-kwan, 16, has wanted to visit China’s Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region for some time, to learn more about the birthplace of her favourite mainland Chinese actress, Dilraba Dilmurat. Before embarking on a seven-day northern Xinjiang learning tour in early July under the Solar Project, organised by public broadcaster RTHK, Lau thought the region was mostly grassland and that locals rode horses as a means of transport. Lau was astonished by the well-developed...