Palace Museum reveals anti-scalping measures amid soaring demand

The Palace Museum in Beijing is fighting ticket scalping in order to provide an orderly visit experience for tourists, as it recently disclosed that during some peak hours of visit, 99 percent of ticket buyers turned out to be ticket scalpers.

This UNESCO World Heritage site revealed to the public its anti-scalping measures and its back-end system to ensure fair chance of acquiring a ticket for the first time.

In response to the overwhelming demand, the Palace Museum plans to maintain reception capacity at 40,000 people on weekdays, the number of tickets will be increased by about 25 percent to improve accessibility for visitors during the summer.

This initiative, announced by the museum's Information Technology Department, aims to enhance accessibility during the busy summer months and will be extended to future peak periods, such as the National Day and May Day holidays.

Additionally, the museum will continue to offer free admission to underprivileged groups, including minors, people with disabilities, active military personnel, and firefighters, ensuring these communities have access to the attraction.

With the summer vacation season in full swing, Chinese families nationwide are eager to explore the country’s top cultural landmarks.

However, many travelers are struggling to secure tickets to the Palace Museum. Recent reports indicate that scalpers have been reselling tickets for as much as 1,100 yuan ($154), with some walk-in reservations skyrocketing to 1,600 yuan.

In stark contrast, tickets sold through the museum’s official booking system are priced at just 60 yuan for the summer season.

To uphold fairness and protect consumer rights, the Palace Museum is implementing measures to isolate ticket inventory for travel agencies and individual visitors, thus preventing travel agencies from monopolizing tickets intended for the general public.

A timed ticket release strategy will also be introduced to further combat automated ticket grabs, allowing tickets to be sold in batches at fixed intervals during high-demand periods.

To thwart scalpers, the museum's risk control engine operates at high speed every day. During the summer season, over 99 percent of ticket requests come in within a single peak hour.

Market authorities have made it clear that using software to quickly purchase tickets for resale is a criminal offense, and emphasized their commitment to ongoing efforts to ensure fair access for all museum visitors.