New law requires authority approval for tourist attraction entrance fee changes

By He Yan ( chinadaily.com.cn )

Updated: 2012-08-30

Tourist attraction entrance ticket price inflation has become a hot issue in recent years. Tourist attractions, especially famous ones, try to raise their ticket prices during tourist seasons each year. An entrance ticket that exceeds 100 yuan ($15.76), or even several hundred yuan, makes travelers difficult to afford.

A draft of a tourism law that was submitted to the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress for consideration on Aug 27 stipulates that tourist attractions shall not charge for entrance tickets without the approval of authorities. As for attractions that run on public resources, ticket price shall be set or guided by the government. Privately-owned attractions shall charge market rates and report to the price department for recording purposes.

The draft law also provides that any price change in entrance tickets must be announced six months beforehand. Tourist programs incurring extra charges need to be listed. Any major tourist programs affected must inform tourists in advance and fees must be reduced accordingly.

The price law stipulates the pricing of tourist attraction entrance tickets.

Edited by Zhao Qian and Michael Thai