Why are there recent fires in Xinjiang?

In the past few days, "Tourists from all over the country are overwhelming Xinjiang" not only dominates the headlines of major websites, but also dominates the hot searches on social platforms. According to news reports, since July, as the national epidemic prevention and control has stabilized and the summer vacation is approaching, Xinjiang, a popular summer resort, has become the first choice destination for tourists across the country. Data show that the average daily reception volume of 5A-level tourist attractions in Xinjiang alone has exceeded 110,000, and the average daily reception volume has increased by 201.08% compared with June.

“Crying after being blocked by the Duku Highway”, “Finally there are more people than sheep on the grassland!” “I’m scared to tears by the price of tourism in Xinjiang this year!” “It’s not an exaggeration to say tens of thousands. "...Tourists traveling to Xinjiang have complained on social platforms: Tourists from all over the country have gone to Xinjiang.

Why are tourists from all over the country gathering to visit Xinjiang this year? The answer is simple. Xinjiang's natural scenery is second to none. The beautiful scenery of snow-capped mountains, Tianchi, grasslands, and lakes is regarded as a fairyland on earth - the virgin forest is green, and the winding Kanas Lake is filled with dots of blue. Fluorescence, the sky and clouds hang low, and overlap with the rolling mountains... Every tourist scene in Xinjiang attracts the attention of the world. It has always been a popular tourist destination, but the ongoing epidemic has banned public travel. Now that prevention and control is stabilizing, retaliatory travel has also appeared in Xinjiang. News reports show that the actual number of ticket purchasers in Nalati, Kanas, Tianchi, Sailimu Lake, Keketuohai and other scenic spots every day is more than 10,000. In terms of the occupancy rate of star-rated hotels, since July, the occupancy rate of hotels in the popular tourist destinations of Ili and Altay has reached over 90%, which shows the popularity.

“The Duku Highway has become a ‘blocked and crying’ highway” has become the headline of major news recently. As a must-see road for self-driving tours in Xinjiang, the Duku Highway connects many well-known places such as Nalati. The scenic spot is known as "the most beautiful in the country". But this summer, many tourists were stuck on the Duku Highway. "The traffic jam is just like Guangzhou. It takes 8 hours to travel 100 kilometers, and the Duku Highway has become a 'blocked and crying highway'." Some tourists complained. Since July, the local traffic police department has issued reminders many times that the traffic volume on Duku Highway is large, and drivers are asked to drive with caution.

Some netizens later calculated that during the entire 10-hour journey, she spent about 5 hours waiting in line. In the imagination of many people, such a crowded scene may appear in any Internet celebrity attraction during the May Day and National Day holidays in China, but it should not be in Xinjiang, which is famous for its "vast land and sparsely populated area". However, the fact is that there are more tourists than sheep on the grasslands of Xinjiang. Even a high-end train ticket costing 50,000 yuan is now difficult to get.

According to multiple media reports, two domestic luxury tourist trains will run one after another in June and July. One is a New Oriental Express train that departs from Urumqi and travels around southern and northern Xinjiang for 16 days. The first train was released on June 9. One is the Hulunbuir train, which departs from Hulunbuir and travels through Inner Mongolia and Heilongjiang for 5 days. The first train was launched on July 3. Although tickets cost between 20,000 and 50,000 each, both trains were almost full. According to reports, the New Oriental Express can carry 160 people per day and will be issued 14 times in 2022. Tickets are divided into blue diamond and gold diamond tiers, with prices ranging from 28,999 yuan/person to 51,999 yuan/person. Such a high price still cannot stop the long-banned train. Within half a month of the opening of the New Oriental Express special train, all year-round ticket bookings have been fully booked.

In recent times, some well-known tourist destinations across the country have experienced a "blowout" phenomenon. Tourists are gathering in scenic spots, road traffic is congested, and the reception in scenic spots has almost collapsed. The resulting environmental sanitation problems and cultural relic protection have Problems, scenic spot service quality issues, etc., have turned the "leisure" that should be pleasant to the body and mind into a certain degree of "asceticism". This is not a good phenomenon, nor is it a comfortable state of travel, it is an irrational travel behavior.

There is a famous "rational economic man" hypothesis in economics, which means that people make rational investment and consumption decisions and pursue maximum benefits under certain costs and constraints. Naturally, tourism consumption is no exception. For Chinese people, there should be a rational choice when and how to travel where. However, what is surprising is that most Chinese people always take their families to tourist attractions during holidays, especially during the Golden Week, to "add to congestion" and to "add to congestion" on roads, railways and flights, looking for trouble. If you think about it carefully, I'm afraid it's not that everyone has lost their rationality and is willing to enjoy the "crowding" brought by Zhatui Tour, but that they have no choice and have to do it.