Hotel brand Accor opened a new property in the Western Chinese city of Lijiang this month, as travelers seek to widen their experience of the once-unknown country.

Accor said that it was opening the Pullman Lijiang Resort & Spa in Yunnan province as China’s “wild west” becomes increasingly popular with experienced Australian travelers, who are now looking for lesser-known spots.

The resort offers a mixture of rooms and villas, with a 2000 square meter spa, lakeside bars and two restaurants serving international and Chinese cuisine.

Unlike the major tourism destinations of Shanghai, Beijing and Sanya, Lijiang is a comparatively small city in the west of the country, some 2,800 km west of Shanghai.

Recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, it’s also a major city in Yunnan province, a mountainous region which is China’s most biodiverse region — although international tourism to the region is still slow compared to its eastern counterparts.

Accor’s Robert Murray says that the unexplored region makes a great destination for those who have already been to China.

“We expect Lijiang to be popular with travellers who are already familiar with China,” he explains.

“They may have visited major cities such as Shanghai and Beijing as well as key tourist destinations such as Xi’an for the terracotta warriors…

now they’re looking for lesser-known and more authentic Chinese experiences. Yunnan is perfect for that. The wilderness is stunning, there is incredible history and real character.”

Murray added that ground operators are beginning to set up tours of the region, and a look at the region’s tourism website yields several week-long trips exploring the remote region, with stops in the cultural city of Dali and the county of Zhongdian, a region which is also known as Shangri-La.

Last year, the Shangri-La Hotel chain began construction on a new hotel of its own in Zhongdian, a 230-room property which will bring an outpost of the luxury hotel chain to its namesake region.