Businesses call town's tourist fee excessive
By Li Qian |
April 15, 2013, Monday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
AN entry fee that some criticize as excessive is now being charged at Fenghuang ancient town, a top tourist attraction in Hunan Province, handing the local government millions of yuan of ticket proceeds yet causing a large drop in tourism and local businesses that depend on them.
While entry previously was free, Fenghuang County started charging of 148 yuan (US$24) admission to the area of the town's quaint architecture last Wednesday, earning a total of 2.27 million yuan in ticket sales in four days, it announced on Saturday.
The town had no more than 5,000 visitors per day during the four days while the figure reached 13,000 at the same time last year, according to data cited by Legal Evening News yesterday.
The county earns 33 yuan from every 148 yuan ticket and the rest goes to private firms working with the government to administer the town's tourism, said Zhao Haifeng, a vice head of the county.
Rows of family inns are usually fully booked in the boom season between April and October. But now, many reported occupancy rates of 50 percent to less - some as low as zero over the weekend. To avoid losses, nearly 30 percent of innkeepers closed, the newspaper found.
People from Chongqing and Changsha cities used to spend their weekends at the old town, an innkeeper told Beijing Youth Daily.
"But they are reluctant to come now after the government imposed the admission fee," the innkeeper added.
Another said many of the inns have lowered prices to 80-100 yuan per night from 300-600 yuan, the Beijing newspaper reported.
Local retailers also complained. A food booth sold only 18 yuan in snacks in a whole day and a comb seller only got one deal in a morning.
Private boating businesses also have suffered because the admission price includes a river cruise around the town, stealing their business, the Beijing Youth Daily reported.
Boatmen and shop owners joined a one-day strike on Thursday, the paper reported.
Cai Long, a vice head of the county, said some unlicensed boatmen incited or threatened shop owners to crowd roads and docks at around 11am, preventing nearly 300 tourists from taking the river cruise. Dozens of police and management officers were called to maintain order, but four people got into a scrape with the authorities. They were taken away by police but not charged, officials said.
While entry previously was free, Fenghuang County started charging of 148 yuan (US$24) admission to the area of the town's quaint architecture last Wednesday, earning a total of 2.27 million yuan in ticket sales in four days, it announced on Saturday.
The town had no more than 5,000 visitors per day during the four days while the figure reached 13,000 at the same time last year, according to data cited by Legal Evening News yesterday.
The county earns 33 yuan from every 148 yuan ticket and the rest goes to private firms working with the government to administer the town's tourism, said Zhao Haifeng, a vice head of the county.
Rows of family inns are usually fully booked in the boom season between April and October. But now, many reported occupancy rates of 50 percent to less - some as low as zero over the weekend. To avoid losses, nearly 30 percent of innkeepers closed, the newspaper found.
People from Chongqing and Changsha cities used to spend their weekends at the old town, an innkeeper told Beijing Youth Daily.
"But they are reluctant to come now after the government imposed the admission fee," the innkeeper added.
Another said many of the inns have lowered prices to 80-100 yuan per night from 300-600 yuan, the Beijing newspaper reported.
Local retailers also complained. A food booth sold only 18 yuan in snacks in a whole day and a comb seller only got one deal in a morning.
Private boating businesses also have suffered because the admission price includes a river cruise around the town, stealing their business, the Beijing Youth Daily reported.
Boatmen and shop owners joined a one-day strike on Thursday, the paper reported.
Cai Long, a vice head of the county, said some unlicensed boatmen incited or threatened shop owners to crowd roads and docks at around 11am, preventing nearly 300 tourists from taking the river cruise. Dozens of police and management officers were called to maintain order, but four people got into a scrape with the authorities. They were taken away by police but not charged, officials said.
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