URUMQI, Aug. 18 (Xinhua) -- Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region saw more than 78 million tourists in the first seven months, up 38.72 percent year-on-year, according to regional statistics.

Tourists have spent more than 121 billion yuan (around 17.6 billion U.S. dollars) in the region during the period, up 40.72 percent from last year.

Emerging tourist attractions in the region and a more developed traffic network are the primary reasons for the strong growth, according to the regional tourism development commission.

Xinjiang saw an increase of 32.4 percent in the number of tourists in 2017, receiving a total of 107 million. Tourists spent over 182 billion yuan in the region, 30 percent more than in 2016.