Scenic spots hike prices amid tourism boom

A number of scenic spots in China have raised the price of entry fees in the past few weeks as the country undergoes a hike in tourism, Economic Information Daily reported Wednesday.

The price to enter Slender West Lake in Yangzhou in Jiangsu province has been raised from 120 yuan ($19) to 150 yuan. Wuyuan in Jiangxi province is up from 180 to 210 yuan. Mount Emei is up from 150 to 185 yuan.

Two scenic spots in Hunan's Zhangjiajie each raised the entry price by 20 yuan. Weizhou Island in Guangxi has raised the entry fee from 90 to 120 yuan.

A regulation introduced by the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) in 2007 limits price changes to once every three years for scenic spots. The year 2013 marks the second window after three years for ticket price adjustments.

A person in charge of Zhangjiajie scenic spots said three reasons lead to the price rise: the rising cost of goods and human resource, expanding funds for increasing tourists, and more profit.

Chinese lawmakers are mulling a draft tourism law that outlines measures to curb rocketing ticket prices amid the country's tourism boom.

Some lawmakers said that wanton price increase in some scenic sites is becoming "a prominent problem," calling for measures to restrain such practices, the report from the National People's Congress' Law Committee said.

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