Higher admission prices prompt fresh grumbling
Print Edition
VISITING several of Shanghai’s top tourist attractions is about to get more expensive as operators avail themselves of openings stipulated in government price-control measures.
Under current regulations, tourism operators are allowed to raise prices only every three years. And with this lock-up period elapsing at many attractions, the stage is set for a wave of admission fee mark-ups.
Officials at sites including the Oriental Pearl TV Tower, Shanghai Wildlife Park and Shanghai Ocean Aquarium, for instance, say they plan to raise prices in coming months. All denied though that the move was due solely to the opening of the price-adjustment window.
In March, admission prices at the Oriental Pearl TV Tower will increase by 20 yuan (US$3.1). For 160 yuan, visitors can currently access the tower’s upper and lower spheres as well as the Shanghai Municipal History Museum.
“The price adjustment is due to overall inflation in the market,” according to an anonymous official with the tower.
The official also said the money will go toward a new cinema featuring multi-dimensional technology that will be built in the tower next year.
The Shanghai Wildlife Park will raise its admission fee on December 8 to 160 yuan, up from 130 yuan. The park said the hike was motivated by rising labor and feed costs.
“We haven’t adjusted our prices for five years,” said Tao Fengyuan, deputy manager of the park’s planning department. “Over the past several years, income levels have increased, which has increased our costs as well.”
In November, officials at the Shanghai Ocean Aquarium plan to raise ticket prices from 160 yuan for adults and 110 yuan for children to 190 yuan and 125 yuan respectively. Again, mounting cost pressures were cited for the planned increase.
China’s tourist attractions and scenic spots have long attracted criticism over what some say are excessively high admission prices, especially compared to similar overseas sites.
Zhao Yingting, a 28-year-old office worker, said she has been to several countries in Europe, North America and Asia, and from her experience China has the most expensive entrance fees.
“When I was in Los Angeles several years ago, I went to the Los Angeles Zoo and the Long Beach Aquarium,” said Zhao. “I could go to both for US$35. This is cheaper than going to the aquarium and the wildlife park in Shanghai, even with exchange rates included.”
Zhao also observed at that scenic spots around the world all need to pay for labor, maintenance and new projects, but those in China show a particular tendency to raise prices.
Zhou Yin, the father of a 6-year-old boy, said he spends hundreds of yuan each month to take his son to the city’s museums and attractions.
“Sometimes to save money, my wife and I take turns to take him out on weekends,” said Zhou. “Despite the expensive tickets, there are still many people at these sites, and most of them are with children. It’s impossible for parents to keep their children at home just because it is expensive to go out.”
Still, Zhou said the higher prices are forcing his family to rethink their upcoming vacation plans.
“If the fees at other scenic areas keep going up, we’d rather go abroad for a holiday,” he said. “At least there aren’t many crowds overseas, and the service is better.”
Outside of Shanghai, scenic spots around the country have also announced plans to bump up fees. The Yaoshan Cableway in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Qingyuan Mountain in Fujian Province and Maiji Mountain in Gansu Province have all said they will raise ticket prices due to “market factors.”
In 2007, the National Development and Reform Commission issued regulations stating that scenic areas and tourist attractions can only raise prices once every three years. Authorities explained that the rule was intended to rein in prices in the tourism market and make travel more affordable.
In recent years, several tourist attractions have found themselves embroiled in controversy over their prices. In 2013, for instance, the Fenghuang Ancient Town in central China’s Hunan Province began charging 148 yuan for admission. Before that, entrance to the town was free. During the first May Day holiday after the change, visitor volume in the town dropped by 15 percent from the previous year. This drop in traffic lead to tension between local authorities and the hotels, shops and restaurants which depend on travelers to the town. According to reports, several inns in the area were forced to close due to the slack business.
Local authorities operating the town fired back by saying the new cost was justified.
“Fenghuang has more than 10 special places that are worth the price, and if you don’t think so, you don’t know enough about Fenghuang,” said an official with the town surnamed Dai. “I just wonder why such a good place can’t make people stay?”
In July, operators of the Mogao Cave in Dunhuang, Gansu Province, announced that they would include entry to a “digital display center” in the price of admission, raising the fee from 160 yuan to 200 yuan. Prior to this, visiting the center cost 60 yuan and was optional. Following a wave of complaints, operators of the site were forced to cancel the package.
According to a recent report issued by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, most of China’s “5A” tourist areas — the highest level awarded by the China Tourism Administration — are more expensive to enter than similar sites overseas.
“Take cultural heritage and other scenic areas for example, there is no clear regulation on how to fix (entrance) prices,” said the report. “According to present management, most admission fee income goes to local governments.”
Song Rui, director of the academy’s tourism research center, said how admission revenue is used is a “grey area.” Song went on to say that “market factors” are not a convincing justification for raising fees.
“We hope that in the future, scenic areas can be more transparent to ensure the public’s right to supervision and knowledge.”
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