Prices of tourist spots rise during Dragon Boat Festival

File photo shows the Dunhuang Mogao Caves, a world famous cultural heritage site in northwest China's Gansu province. [Photo/qq.com]

The Dragon Boat Festival holiday over the weekend has led to an increase in the price of entrance tickets to tourist hotspots around China.

Around 20 tourist attractions across China have raised the price of entrance tickets so far in this year.

Some scenic spots have raised the ticket price by more than 40% this year, which violates the ticket price regulations.

According to the entrance ticket regulation for scenic spots released by the National Development and Reform Commission, prices cannot be raised by more than 35% each time.

The Dunhuang Mogao Caves, a world famous cultural heritage site in northwest China's Gansu province is also planning to start raising its ticket price by 100 yuan from July 21.

Meanwhile, the public have also criticized the lack of transparency on how their ticket money is utilized for the maintenance of scenic spots.

Tourism experts with the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences say that the entrance ticket price for top ranking scenic spots in China are set by local governments. They highlight the need for a ticket price control mechanism, which can set a nationwide standard with clear and comprehensive guidelines for local governments to follow.

Experts also say that there was a need for new regulations on how the ticket revenues are utilized to better serve the public who visit scenic spots.