URUMQI, Oct. 7 (Xinhua) -- The number of tourists to northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region exceeded 180 million from January to September this year, up 40.9 percent year-on-year, local authorities said Monday.

The regional culture and tourism bureau said tourism revenue in the three quarters reached 304.64 billion yuan (42.62 billion U.S. dollars), 40.8 percent up from the same period last year.

The region vowed to build Xinjiang into a popular destination for tourists from home and abroad.

The number of tourists to Xinjiang exceeded 150 million last year, up 40.1 percent.