SWOT Analysis of New Trend of Rural Tourism Development in Xinjiang

Yufang LUO

Xinjiang Medical University, Urumqi 830017, China

Abstract Based on SWOT analysis method, this paper analyzed the strengths of developing rural tourism in Xinjiang, including advantages of natural resources, human resources, unique tourism landscape. However, there are also weaknesses in the rural tourism of Xinjiang, including scatter distribution of scenic spots, long travel routes, great season influence of the tourism, insufficient professional workers, weak rural infrastructure, serious homogenization of the tourism model, and low competitiveness. In addition, it summarized the new trends of rural tourism development in Xinjiang, such as scientifically planning new formats of rural tourism, fully developing all-season tourism projects, digging deep into the new connotation of rural tourism, and focusing on online and offline promotion of rural tourism.

Key words SWOT analysis method, Rural tourism, New trend, Xinjiang

1 Introduction

With the widespread of the COVID-19 around the world, the development of the tourism industry is facing unprecedented challenges. How to promote the development of the tourism industry while preventing and fighting the epidemic has become a new problem and contradiction faced by the tourism industry. Compared with traditional tourism, rural tourism has prominent advantages in avoiding large-scale long-distance flow of people. How to develop rural tourism in Xinjiang under the background of widespread of the COVID-19, that is, to actively protect against the epidemic, and also meet the needs of citizens for holiday leisure and vacation, has posed new requirements for the development of rural tourism. Based on the SWOT (strength, weakness, opportunity, and threat) analysis method, we analyzed the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of developing rural tourism in Xinjiang, and systematically summarized the new development trend of rural tourism in Xinjiang under the new situation.

2 Strengths of Xinjiang in developing the rural tourism

2.1 Strength of natural resourcesXinjiang is rich in tourism resources and has unique natural landscapes. Glacier and Turfan (fire land) face each other, and desert and oasis are adjacent. The cultural landscape is unique, the ethnic customs are colorful, and there are many scenic spots. Xinjiang has 16 national 5A-level scenic spots, 7 national-level geological parks, 17 national forest parks, 5 national-level wetland parks, 4 national-level scenic spots, and 5 historical and cultural cities. Xinjiang dance, Hami melon and Hetian jade are unique cultural symbols in Xinjiang. These unique tourist attractions are distributed in the vast land of Xinjiang, and they have become a beautiful landscape and natural resource advantages of Xinjiang.

2.2 Strengths of cultural resourcesXinjiang is rich in cultural tourism resources. Along the three main routes of the ancient Silk Road of more than 5 000 km, there are hundreds of ancient cities, ancient tombs, Thousand Buddha Caves, ancient Tuntian ruins and other cultural landscapes. Jiaohe Ancient City, Gaochang Ancient City, Loulan Ruins, Kizil Thousand-Buddha Caves, Abakh khoja Koran (Xiangfei) Tomb,etc.are famous at home and abroad. They recorded the history of the intersection of Chinese and Western cultures, showing the glorious cultural picture of ancient Xinjiang, attracting more and more Chinese and foreign tourists. There are 13 ethnic groups living in Xinjiang, Uygur, Hui, Kazakh, Manchu, Xibe, Mongolian, Kirgiz, Tajik, Tatar, Uzbek, Russian and Daghur. During the long-term integration and development of various ethnic groups, unique ethnic customs have been formed. Various ethnic minorities in Xinjiang can play, sing, and dance, which has also become a major feature of Xinjiang’s tourism development.

2.3 Unique tourist landscapeAccording to the geographical background and cultural distribution of Xinjiang, the routes to visit Xinjiang are mainly divided into the northern Xinjiang route and the southern Xinjiang route. Northern Xinjiang mainly includes Urumqi, Altay, Tacheng, Changji, Ili, and Bortala. Compared with the southern Xinjiang, the northern Xinjiang has a humid climate and rich products. The natural forms are mainly snow-capped mountains, forests, lakes, grasslands,etc.The ethnic minorities in northern Xinjiang mainly include Kazakhs, Mongolians, and Tuvas. The most famous scenic spots are Kanas and Sailimu Lake. Southern Xinjiang mainly includes Kashgar, Hotan, and Korla. The ethnic minorities in southern Xinjiang are mainly Uyghurs. The natural forms are mainly deserts, snow-capped mountains, ethnic minority villages, and ruins of ancient tombs along the Silk Road. The most famous scenic spots are the Pamirs, Kashgar and its surrounding areas. Every scenic spot in Xinjiang is unique and cannot be copied or imitated. In terms of natural or cultural landscapes, most tourism resources are scarce and attractive to tourists.

3 Weaknesses of Xinjiang in developing the rural tourism

3.1 Scatter distribution of scenic spots and long travel routesOn the one hand, Xinjiang has a vast territory. Due to its special geographical conditions, transportation has become a major obstacle to the development of tourism. The travel time to Xinjiang is long and the economic expenditure is large, which in turn leads to the insufficient ability of Xinjiang scenic spots to attract tourists from outside Xinjiang. On the other hand, Xinjiang itself occupies one-sixth of China’s land area and is the largest province in China. The vast area makes many scenic spots far apart. Tourists usually have to travel hundreds of kilometers from one scenic spot to another, which takes time exhausting. The infrastructure of some scenic spots is not well equipped, and the service quality is not high, which directly affects the tourists’ sense of travel experience and comfort.

3.2 Great season influence of the tourismXinjiang is located in the north temperate zone and has a temperate continental climate with long cold winters and hot summers, large daily and annual temperature differences, and scarce annual precipitation. Besides, Xinjiang has a dry climate and little precipitation. The annual precipitation in northern Xinjiang is only 200 mm, and the precipitation in southern Xinjiang is less than 100 mm, which lays the hidden danger for the formation of dusty weather in spring and autumn. The climate from May to October is generally pleasant, with less extreme weather. This half-year is the peak period of tourism in Xinjiang, and Xinjiang has successively welcomed a large number of tourists from inside and outside Xinjiang. Affected by the seasonal climate, Xinjiang’s rural tourism is suitable for tourists for a short period of time, and the dull and peak seasons of tourism are obvious. The infrastructure equipment and labor costs invested in the early stage of rural tourism bring certain economic losses to rural tourism operators in the dull season tourism. Therefore, it is necessary to extend the peak tourist season as much as possible and break through the seasonal limitation, and reducing the instability of the income limited by seasons is an important problem to be solved in the future development of rural tourism in Xinjiang.

3.3 Insufficient professional workersThe overall development speed of rural tourism in Xinjiang lags behind other regions in China. The development of rural tourism resources in various places of Xinjiang is mainly based on local farmers. The educational level of tourism workers is generally low. In terms of unified management of tourism resources, unified deployment and safety management, there is a serious shortage of professional tourism management personnel, and no tourism talent training echelon has been formed. In addition, the personnel who have been engaged in rural tourism have not been systematically studied and trained, and there is still a large gap between the management and service level and the needs of tourists, the lack of human resources and the low quality of tourism workers. This is in sharp contrast to the rapid development of rural tourism, and has become a major bottleneck hindering the high-quality development of rural tourism in Xinjiang.

3.4 Weak rural infrastructureIn terms of infrastructure construction, the infrastructure construction of rural tourist attractions in Xinjiang needs to be further imperfect, and the supporting infrastructure is negatively correlated with meeting the needs of tourists, especially the tourists who travel in rural areas are mostly distanced from the place and quite distinctive the countryside. Most tourists choose to travel with their families. The main purpose of tourists is to experience the folk culture and customs of the countryside, experience the joy of farm life, and satisfy children in family education to understand agricultural production methods, understand the growth process of agricultural products, watch the scenery of the farm, feel the comfort of the countryside, and take the elderly to relax and cure diseases. Therefore, the requirements for rural infrastructure are higher, especially during long (three days or more) holidays, more and more tourists choose to stay overnight in Beds and Breakfasts (B&Bs) and experience rural life in depth. The construction of characteristic B&Bs and the creation of basic living conditions put forward higher requirements.

Xinjiang Rural Tourism Farmer (herdsman) Homes are built by local farmers and herdsmen. The building specifications and safety measures are differentiated. The original ecological scenic spots are not equipped with a reasonable number of security personnel and fire-fighting equipment, which makes it difficult to guarantee the safety of rural tourism consumers. The problem of accommodation safety also directly affects the possibility of tourists’ further sightseeing and consumption in the scenic spot, and the scenic spot also loses more opportunities to promote consumption.

3.5 Serious homogenization of the tourism model, and low competitivenessAfter the strategy of revitalizing Xinjiang by tourism was put forward, Xinjiang’s rural tourism industry also kept up with the pace of development. Rural tourism has become an important means to promote agricultural transformation and rural economic development. However, as far as the entire region of Xinjiang is concerned, the convergence of ideas and concepts in rural tourism development is common. This is mainly manifested in the following aspects. (i) Homogenization of overall planning. In promoting the development of rural tourism in various places, it is mainly the combination of agriculture and tourism. Some villages just imitate the tourism development model of other places. In terms of development and planning, they are mainly small towns and villages around big cities, and there is little difference in business models, such as the villages around Urumqi. Some villages are developed closely with the national new rural construction, and adhere to the concept of unity and order in the construction, leading to similar rural tourism positioning. (ii) Homogenization of project construction. At present, most rural tourism is characterized by leisure vacation, folk customs, sightseeing agriculture, and pastoral picking. The promotion mode is similar in various places, but the tourists lack the freshness of rural tourism. The single form of rural tourism activities is also easy to cause aesthetic fatigue to tourists. For a long time, it will not only fail to meet the increasingly diverse and individualized needs of tourists, but also cause similarities in rural tourism resources, which is not conducive to the future sustainable development of rural tourism in Xinjiang. (iii) Homogenization of tourism products. Due to the special geographical location, Xinjiang is rich in melons, fruits, cattle and sheep resources, and there are many special delicacies and beautiful scenery that attract people from all over the country. However, the development of tourism resources is rough. Except for the different natural landscapes, the tourism modes and tourism products are similar to each other. The special products and delicacies launched in various places are roughly the same, and it is difficult for tourists to have the desire to buy tourism products that lack individuality. Such a homogeneous rural tourism development model is not favorable to the development of the rural tourism industry, and even restricts the further development of the rural tourism industry.

4 New trend of rural tourism development in Xinjiang

4.1 Scientifically planning new formats of rural tourismFirst of all, it is necessary to scientifically formulate theOverallPlanforRuralTourismDevelopmentandtheSpecialPlanforXinjiang-wideRuralTourism. Based on the characteristics of local tourism resources, it is recommended to adhere to the principle of "co-ordination of urban and rural areas, overall layout, integration of scenery and city, and interaction between industries and cities", and establish and improve the diversified and high-quality tourism product system. Secondly, the government should formulate corresponding support policies based on actual conditions, mobilize the enthusiasm of the general public, and participate in the development and construction of rural tourism. Thirdly, it is necessary to improve rural tourism infrastructure, improve rural hardware conditions, repair basic rural cultural service facilities, and pay attention to the enrichment and development of local characteristic culture. Finally, it is necessary to establish a complete rural tourism system, pay attention to the creation of high-quality routes, rely on Xinjiang’s unique geological and landform landscape, continuously improve traffic conditions, and focus on the development and construction of tourism products such as sightseeing experience and ecological leisure.

4.2 Fully developing all-season tourism projectsThe development of rural tourism in Xinjiang should give top priority to seasonal factors. Changes with season should become the basis for Xinjiang to build tourism projects. It is recommended to break the seasonal disadvantage of rural tourism by carrying out various forms of rural tourism according to the changes of seasonal conditions, such as outing in spring, avoiding heat in summer, autumn picking, and ice and snow projects in winter. At present, the major scenic spots in Xinjiang have basically begun to take shape, integrating tourism, modern agriculture, skiing and hot springs. However, the current structure is still relatively simple. Developers should dig deep and innovate continuously, especially to build Xinjiang winter tourism base and winter brand tourism, so that Xinjiang rural tourism has bright and hot spots all year round.

4.3 Digging deep into the new connotation of rural tourism

In the development of rural tourism, not every village is suitable for development as a scenic spot, and similarly, it is impossible to generalize all villages for undifferentiated planning and construction. At present, in Xinjiang’s rural tourism market, most of the rural tourism either stays in sightseeing tourism relying on natural resources such as landscape, or some recreational facilities built in the countryside but no different from cities. For urban tourists, it is not only less attractive. Because the artificial traces are too obvious, the phenomenon of homogeneous development generally exists. The villages are largely the same and have no individuality, and accordingly lose their core attractiveness and competitiveness. Therefore, in the development and construction of rural tourism, Xinjiang should uphold and abide by the basic principles of adjusting measures to local conditions, rational layout, prominent features, and coordinated development, combine local development features and characteristics, formulate reasonable policies and systems and effective development requirements according to local conditions to promote future development.

Only by closely integrating Xinjiang’s unique local characteristic culture with rural tourism can Xinjiang realize the sustainable development of its rural tourism. The development of rural tourism relies on local customs, culture and geographical features. With the active participation of local residents, the simple folk customs create a good environment for tourists to relax and entertain. Only with the active participation of local residents can local characteristics be fully demonstrated, tourists can leave a different impression of the countryside, and then the sustainable development of rural tourism can be guaranteed, and ultimately the goal of expanding employment and getting rid of poverty can be achieved.

4.4 Focusing on online and offline promotion of rural tourismIn the promotion of rural tourism, at the time of using traditional offline publicity methods such as printing and distributing brochures, billboards, news and newspaper columns, local tourism and cultural management departments may take advantage of various forms such as big data network new media to open online and offline multi-channel publicity channels, and continuously expand the popularity and attractiveness of scenic spots.

4.4.1Online promotion. Rural areas in Xinjiang should set up a WeChat official account of beautiful village, regularly push articles on various activities or rural construction and development, and push through various online platforms and official accounts to widely publicize the characteristics of rural tourism. For example, they can open official accounts of popular APPs such as Xiaohongshu, Weibo, Douyin, Kuaishou,etc.According to real-time hotspots, relevant activities are regularly pushed, and special activities that match the festival are held during holidays, and online publicity channels are opened to let more tourists know about tourism projects in various places. Scenic spots should open online ticket purchase and online experience functions, so that tourists can have a more comprehensive understanding of the tourism projects they will experience. Besides, scenic spots can open online sales platforms for local characteristic agricultural and sideline products to cooperate with express delivery services, and solve tourists’ worries about "difficulty of buying things", "buying expensive things", and "buying things that can’t be taken with them" through the form of the Internet, forming an industrial chain of sales in beautiful villages. Every village in Xinjiang can use local characteristics and folk culture as the keynote to shoot local customs, special songs and dances, and scenic food promotional videos, so that the characteristic features of Xinjiang’s rural areas are well-known throughout the country and become the most beautiful business card of Xinjiang.

4.4.2Offline promotion. Offline promotion is mainly achieved through three channels: event promotion, advertisement promotion and leaflet promotion. The event promotion refers to the regular holding of sightseeing events during festivals and holidays every year, with festival characteristics as the main focus and the orientation of rural development in Xinjiang, to carry out various forms of events such as singing, dancing, playing and singing, going to the countryside for farming, and farm picking,etc.Advertisement promotion is to display the characteristics of the countryside in the form of posters in major public transportation places, and promote scenic spots through the attraction of tourist flow. The leaflet promotion is to directly contact target customers by distributing tourism leaflets, so that more people can quickly and comprehensively understand the advantages of Xinjiang tourism, enhance tourists’ trust in scenic spots, and accordingly enhance the external publicity of rural scenic spots.

5 Conclusions

At present, the COVID-19 epidemic is still profoundly affecting people’s lives, and long-distance cross-regional travel is not advocated. Under the guidance of active epidemic prevention policies, rural tourism resources should be further excavated. (i) In terms of natural landscape, it is suggested to combine local characteristic landscape and characteristic agriculture with perfect infrastructure and entertainment facilities to create a rural tourism industry chain integrating picking-sightseeing-entertainment, so as to enhance tourists’ experience and comfort. (ii) In the cultural landscape, it is recommended to develop characteristic cultural industries, integrate excellent local culture, and create new highlights of the combination of culture and tourism. (iii) In terms of epidemic prevention and control, it is recommended to do a good job in the early protection of consumption safety, epidemic prevention safety and production safety, relieve worries, actively cater to the current situation, promote the in-depth development of rural tourism, and boost the overall rural revitalization.