Seven sites in Shaanxi－the Big Wild Goose Pagoda,－have been included in the Silk Road World Heritage.[Photo by Song Chenyang/Asianewsphoto]

Shaanxi sets its sights on putting the Silk Road on the tourist map

Part of the Silk Road, a 2,000-year old route for trade and cultural exchanges, was included on the UNESCO World Heritage list at the 38th session of the World Heritage Committee, held in Doha, Qatar, from June 15 to 25, 2014.

The application, which was jointly submitted by China, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, marks the first time that China has cooperated with foreign countries for a World Heritage nomination, according to Xinhuanet.

The Silk Road section listed as part of the world's heritage is the Chang'an-Tianshan corridor, which starts from the city of Xi'an in Shaanxi province.

The Silk Road has become a popular attraction for both national and international tourists now, said Yang Zhongwu, head of the Shaanxi Tourism Bureau.

"The global influence of Shaanxi, as the starting point of the Silk Road, has been boosted through the inclusion of the ancient trading route as part of the world's heritage," Yang said, adding that the Shaanxi government will take this as an opportunity to develop the local tourism industry.

The government has been focusing on developing Silk Road tourism since last year, when Chinese President Xi Jinping, during his speech at the Nazarbayev University in Astana, Kazakhstan, proposed that China and Central Asian countries build a Silk Road economic belt together.

The proposed economic belt is home to almost three billion people and "represents the biggest market in the world with unparalleled potential," Xi said.

At the beginning of this year, Shaanxi tourism bureau officials said that developing Silk Road tourism is now one of their key strategies for the future.

In May, the local tourism bureau invited renowned scholars to Shaanxi to hold a dialogue on the Silk Road culture.

With the support of government policies, the Shaanxi tourism bureau is expected to plan and implement a series of tourism programs, routes and products according to the Silk Road theme in the upcoming future, Yang said.