Besieged by tourists, entry fee may be a necessary evil

(Ecns.cn) -- Huang Tian is a resident of Fenghuang ancient town, a very well-known tourist attraction in Hunan Province. He doesn't have to pay to get in, but his girlfriend wasn't so lucky.

Huang explained to the ticket office that he was bringing the girl home to meet his parents, but was still told to buy a ticket for her. After much heated deliberation, she was finally allowed to enter.

It was but one small controversy among many since an entry fee policy was recently introduced at Fenghuang, reputed as "the most beautiful town in China."

Previously free of charge, since last Wednesday visitors to the site have been required to purchase a 148-yuan ($23.9) admission ticket. Direct relatives of locals are exempt from the fee, but some have complained that applying for the permit is "bothersome," according to Chinanews.com.

Yang Hua, a local resident, told reporters that he was concerned about his personal information being leaked, for example. Meanwhile, the owner of a local hotel said one of his customers complained about how often his ticket had been checked -- seven times in one day. Hardly conducive to a relaxing holiday.

In the four days after the implementation of the fee, the town received less than 5,000 visitors daily. The figure reached 13,000 during the same period last year, according to data cited by Legal Evening News. Moreover, the majority of this year's visitors have been tour groups, which are less affected by the new policy, since entrance fees are bundled into packages offered by travel agencies.

Only 200 tickets were sold to individual visitors in the three days after the policy was launched, according to the local county government.

Feng Cheng, owner of a hotel on Fenghuang's Nanbian Street, told the Beijing Daily that his business has plummeted because of a drop in visitor numbers. All the rooms were vacant on the first day of the policy, and only one room was occupied by Saturday, Feng said.

The average occupancy rate of the five hotels near Nanbian Street was less than one-third in the past two days, according to the Beijing Daily.

Local retailers have also complained. The owner of snack stall said he had only made 18 yuan, less than 3 dollars, in a whole day.

Privately run tour boats have also suffered. A boat-owner surnamed Tian said they had no business at all, and that more than 100 boats had remained stacked on the dock for two days.

In 2012, the county received 5.6 million visitors, with tourism revenue topping 5.3 billion yuan.

But such high numbers appear to be at the heart of the matter: The county government said during a press briefing that the policy was introduced to regulate the tourism market, help protect the town and pursue sustainable development.

The county only earns 33 yuan from every 148 yuan ticket; the rest goes to private firms that work with the government to administer the town's tourism, said Zhao Haifeng, deputy head of the county.

"Part of the ticket fees will be used for maintenance, renovation of the town's relics, improvement of water quality in the river and landscaping along the riverbanks," Zhao said.

He added that among the number of tourist complaints that have been filed in all of Hunan Province, Fenghuang represented 67 percent.

Travel agencies have long abused the free entry at Fenghuang by taking customers to low-quality tourist sites and collecting kickbacks. Frequently touted as a free site in travel package plans, the large number of tourists to the town has also resulted in environmental damage.

Ye Wenzhi, president of the travel corporation Unitenix, said it's a good opportunity for Fenghuang to streamline its operations and attract more high-end clients.

Ren Zhenjun, head of the local tourism bureau, pointed out that the declining business is a temporary issue. Because of the entrance fee, tourists will eventually stay longer and consume more, which will benefit private business owners, he added.

Ren also said that the county government has applied for National 5A Scenic Spot recognition, and plans to build a large environment-friendly parking lot in the north of the county.

For the majority of the tourists who intend to visit Fenghuang, the 148-yuan ticket price is acceptable, Ren said, adding that he expects tourist numbers to increase by 10 percent to 7.6 million in July, after some fluctuations.

Ye Wenzhi said it is natural for tourists to buy tickets to get into scenic spots, but admitted that charging fees is not a perfect policy. "The entrance fee might be cancelled in about 10 years."

"It is inevitable that hostels will receive less independent tourists than before, and reforms will definitely produce some pains now," Zhao Haifeng said. "During this process, the government will help people overcome difficulties."

The government will promote joint projects with small hotels, arrange night sightseeing trips to support private boating businesses, and compensate some local residences, he said.