China highlights tourist safety
Print Edition
Chinese authorities have told managers of the country’s popular tourism sites to take safety precautions during the current week-long National Day holiday, after thousands of tourists were left stranded for hours in a nature reserve.
The National Tourism Administration issued a notice to managers yesterday, a day after more than 4,000 tourists were stuck in Jiuzhaigou nature reserve in the southwestern Sichuan Province, following delays in shuttle bus services.
The delays paralyzed the area’s transport system, and police were summoned to keep order.
The holiday — known as Golden Week — is a peak travel period in China, with hundreds of millions of Chinese taking advantage of the extended break.
The intervention by the national tourism authority came after officials at Jiuzhaigou apologized for the chaos and offered refunds.
Jiuzhaigou’s management and the Aba Dajiuzhai Tourism Group, which operates a shuttle bus service in the scenic spot, admitted that poor management led to gridlock.
Visitors who bought tickets for Wednesday, the second day of the National Day break, are eligible for refunds, said the management bureau yesterday.
More than 11,000 tickets had been returned by midday yesterday, totaling more than 3.3 million yuan (US$539,000).
Around 40,000 tourists had turned up on Wednesday at the Jiuzhaigou valley, which is famed for its pandas, vibrant fall foliage and multi-colored lakes.
All scenic spots were packed by noon, by which time some tourists had become impatient waiting for the shuttle buses that ferry them around parts of the valley.
Frustrated visitors began stopping passing buses — trying to board them or demanding extra coaches — leading to delays and eventually a service breakdown.
Tourists were left waiting for hours for buses, with many forced to walk to the gates of the scenic zone to get out.
Many visitors, including seniors and children, had to walk more than 10 kilometers to leave the zone, reported the Oriental Morning Post.
The management office called police to help maintain order. Some 40 police — including 20 armed officers — were posted at bus stops and traffic junctions.
According to the management office, all shuttle buses were in operation. It said frustrated tourists stopping buses and visitors walking in bus lanes brought the service to a standstill.
The last group of the 4,000 visitors stranded in the scenic zone did not get to leave the site until 10pm on Wednesday.
Other Chinese tourist attractions have also been drawing the crowds.
Beijing’s Palace Museum recorded more than 175,000 visitors on Wednesday, more than double its official capacity. It has a daily limit of 80,000 visitors but management felt they ought to continue selling tickets to avoid disappointing the crowds.
Gulangyu Island, off Xiamen in coastal Fujian Province, was packed with more than 80,000 visitors on Wednesday. The 1.87-square-kilometer island can ideally hold 30,000 visitors.
On Taishan Mountain in eastern Shandong Province numbers were up, with more than 50,000 visitors on Wednesday. An extra 400 staffers were brought to help ensure safety.
As of 5pm yesterday, 125 tourist sites around the country had logged more than 6.23 million tourist trips over the past three days, up 8.39 percent year on year, according to China’s top tourism administration.
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