Surging ticket prices trigger complaints before holiday

High ticket prices at China's popular tourist destinations and reports of price surges at some well-known scenic spots prior to an upcoming three-day holiday are causing widespread concern in the country.

As the busy season of tourism comes around, some scenic spots are beginning to raise entry fees, with around 20 of them planning to hike prices by as much as 60 percent, according to a report published in the Xinhua-run Economic Information Daily on Wednesday.

A travel agency manager in the eastern Jiangxi Province, who asked not to be named, said overly high prices, together with the costs of dining and transportation, are making touring China unaffordable for its low-income population.

"A full ticket for some major scenic spots costs between 100 yuan (US$15.8) and 200 yuan, which is almost equal to two days' wages for most people," the manager said.

The report cited Zhaozhou Bridge in Hebei Province and the Jinggang Mountains in Jiangxi as raising their ticket prices significantly.

Zhaozhou Bridge is a large one-arch stone bridge built between 595 and 605. The cost of entry to the spot leapt to 40 yuan in February from 30-35 yuan previously, while ticket prices at the Jinggang Mountains, known as the cradle of the Chinese revolution, will be raised to 160 yuan per person beginning on May 8, up from 130 yuan.

The newspaper report warned that many more spots are also planning to hike prices, as the Chinese tourist industry enters a rare phase of being allowed to instigate such raises. The government requires that tourist scenic areas may only adjust ticket prices every three years.

The report has also ignited a fire on the Internet with many who are planning for an excursion during the three-day May Day Holiday (April 29 - May 1) complaining.

"A family of three will need to spend between 500 yuan and 1,000 yuan only for the tickets! We can't afford them!" an entry on China's popular Twitter-like Sina Weibo said.

Another Weibo user complained that traveling will become less attractive because of the high ticket prices, and that some scenic spots are not really that worthy of the ticket prices.

The newspaper report said that ticket prices of almost half of the nation's "5A" (highest class) scenic spots are above 100 yuan, while at least 15 percent are selling tickets for over 200 yuan each. Despite the high prices, customers regularly complain of inadequate services such as a lack of chairs for tourists' rest at these spots and not enough toilets.

Ding Zaixian, vice president of the Shangdong Tourism Trade Association, criticized the phenomenon.

"When the peak travel season comes, ticket price rises are running in a rampant manner among scenic areas in China. However, I worry that this over-reliance on short-term interests may make them lose tourists in the future," Ding said.

Shao Qiwei, head of the National Tourism Administration, told Xinhua that the Chinese government aims to develop tourism into a pillar industry of strategic importance and a more satisfying modern service industry.

"To achieve these two goals, we must bid farewell to the ticket economy," according to Shao.

Dai Bin, president of the China Tourism Academy, said that access to tourism should be a basic right for the Chinese public, the majority of whom, especially residents in the country's rural regions, have not as yet enjoyed this right fully.

"It should be a main task for tourism authorities to develop suitable products during the next 10 to 15 years that will let every Chinese citizen enjoy at least one sight-seeing tour each year," Dai said.