The China Lie at the World Tourism Fair

Between November 5-7, 2024, a large consortium consisting of China's state tourism and cultural institutions as well as private tourism companies participated in the 2024 World Travel Market trade fair held in London, the capital of the United Kingdom. They placed special emphasis on the so-called "Xinjiang tourism" and highlighted China's controversial so-called "Xinjiang tourism".
At a time when international human rights groups are constantly warning Western tourism companies not to participate in China's "genocide tours" in East Turkistan, China's propaganda about the "normalization of the situation in so-called Xinjiang" at the World Travel Market trade fair caused reactions.
In an advertisement published on the World Travel Market fair's website, China insisted on the lie that the exhibition "showcased the captivating charm of so-called Xinjiang and displayed various practices of ethnic and cultural integration." However, human rights organizations stated that the exhibition was used as a platform to emphasize China's so-called "Xinjiang tourism" in order to cover up and defend China's "crimes against humanity" and "genocide" in the region.
"Genocide Tourism: International Tourism Companies in Xinjiang"
The author of the report, Dr. Henryk Szadziewski, emphasized that China's intention was to show the world that its so-called Xinjiang policy has been successful and has brought stability to the region. According to Henryk Szadziewski, China sent Uyghur tourism officials to the fair for the first time. Szadziewski stated, "They had previously participated in tourism fairs in Paris and Berlin but did not send officials responsible for tourism in East Turkistan. However, this time a special effort was made to demonstrate that the Uyghur region is a tourism hub. There are several reasons for this, the most important of which is to show the world that their policies have been successful and have brought stability to the region."
According to Henryk Szadziewski, China uses tourism as a tool to reject international accusations regarding the Uyghur issue. Szadziewski said, "If the Chinese government comes out and talks about this, it would not be very convincing. So, they are using someone else to do this. Tourism is one of the ways to do this. They expect people to travel and see carefully prepared images that tell the story of the region's great achievements. Therefore, tourism is one of the means to this end."
Under the "High-Quality Tourism Development in China" exhibition hall opened by China at this fair, a special exhibition with the theme "Our Xinjiang is a Good Place" was set up. China's official media, "Globe Time," and others reported that more than ten domestic and international travel companies, led by Gully Abulimu, the Tourism and Culture Minister of the so-called "Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region," participated in the exhibition. According to China News, "the wonderful cultural products, intangible cultural heritage, and lively folk traditions on display attracted special attention from the international community."
In recent years, China has invested large sums of money to conceal the genocide in East Turkistan from the international community, building various tourist sites and museums so that Chinese and foreign tourists can visit these limited places. While China is trying to deceive the eyes of tourists, it is also gaining various material interests.