New rules to govern fees at tourist sites

As of March 1, tourist spots in Shanghai will officially be prohibited from charging visitors different prices based on their nationality, according to a new regulation that is set to take effect next month, said local authorities.

The regulation further stipulates that natural scenic destinations or historical sites are banned from raising ticket prices more than once within a three-year period, nor can entry fees be raised during national holidays, or in the month leading up to the occasion, the city's development and reform commission said Monday.

The regulations were issued a day after local media exposed that restaurants in Zhujiajiao's popular tourist area were charging foreign customers up to twice as much as Chinese visitors.

Any price increments to entry fees at tourist spots should further be limited to 35 percent of the previous price for passes below 50 yuan ($7.90), while the prices for tickets of more than 200 yuan cannot exceed a price hike of more than 15 percent, the regulation adds. The price increases must also be made public at least six months prior to being implemented.

The rules also raise the height of free entry for children at tourist sites from 1.2 meters to 1.3 meters.

Any exhibits centered on educating the public about the nation's historic past are also obliged to welcome visitors for free.

The local commission declined to comment on the new regulations when reached by the Global Times Tuesday, but Yang Yong, a professor who specializes in tourism at East China Normal University, described the rules as somewhat overdue.

"They're unlikely to have much impact since tourists in the city are consistently charged the same entry fees these days," he told the Global Times Tuesday. "Still, the regulations are helpful in terms of promoting a more structured tourism market, which formally dictates the permitted practices of tourist sites in the interest of securing equality of treatment for all travelers, regardless of their nationalities."