The 8th China Xinjiang International Tourism Festival kicks off in Shihezi city, Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region June 22, 2012.

With the theme of "Shihezi, a bright pearl in the Gobi Desert and famous City of army land reclamation", the two-day festival invites domestic and international travel agents to boost cooperation and regional tourism.

The festival will promote Shihezi's unique history, culture and environment, according to Num Neselting, director of Tourism Bureau of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region at a news briefing on June 22.

A sub-prefecture-level city in northern Xinjiang, the host city Shihezi is well known for its successful transformation from a bleak desert city to a manmade oasis.

The army, called Xinjiang Production and Construction Corp, has been guarding this rugged frontier area as well as developing the local economy since the 1950s. Now Shihezi has become an important base in China for the production of grain, cotton and oil yielding plants. The urban green coverage reached more than 40 percent in the city. And it is the only city awarded Dubai International Award for Best Practices in Improving the Living Environment in Northwest China.

Supported by the National Tourism Administration and Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region government, the tourism festival is one of the three most important festivals in Xinjiang. The other two are the International Photographic Festival and the Xinjiang Ski Festival.