URUMQI -- More than 190 million tourists traveled to Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region in 2021, an increase of 20.5 percent compared to 2020, according to a work report of the regional government.

The report was released at the fifth session of the 13th regional people's congress which opened on Sunday.

The region reported a total tourism revenue of nearly 141.6 billion yuan (about $22.4 billion) last year, up 42.7 percent, according to the work report.

The regional government has vowed to build Xinjiang into a key area for tourism and a popular destination worldwide. Tourism has become a major source of income for local people in the region.