Heritage status: costly
By Echo Wang |
August 25, 2010, Wednesday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
TOURIST attractions in China are throwing millions in a frenzy to get on the UNESCO world heritage list, hoping to turn antique landscapes into cash cows.
Making pricey renovations in hopes of impressing the judges, the applicants usually find that their efforts to win the privileged title end up in higher entrance fees for tourists.
Case in point: Nanyue Temple in central China's Hunan Province. The temple's authority raised the ticket price to 50 yuan from 40 yuan per person to fill a budget gap caused by renovation works.
The renovations were ordered to prepare for the world heritage list's recognition. A toilet alone in the temple has cost 1.97 million yuan (US$290,000), China Youth Daily quoted a monk in the temple yesterday.
A local official in Hengyang City, where the temple is located, said the 1.97 million yuan wasn't a lot of money, considering the toilet was built to a five-star standard.
The fever to bid for a place on the UNESCO list has spread since the beginning of the month, when the World Heritage Committee recognized six Danxia Landform areas in six provinces for the list.
A survey conducted by the newspaper showed that 62 percent of 1,784 respondents said they think spending huge money to get on to the list is not worth it.
Still, according to Xinhua, 35 tourist attractions were applying to be included in the heritage list.
Making pricey renovations in hopes of impressing the judges, the applicants usually find that their efforts to win the privileged title end up in higher entrance fees for tourists.
Case in point: Nanyue Temple in central China's Hunan Province. The temple's authority raised the ticket price to 50 yuan from 40 yuan per person to fill a budget gap caused by renovation works.
The renovations were ordered to prepare for the world heritage list's recognition. A toilet alone in the temple has cost 1.97 million yuan (US$290,000), China Youth Daily quoted a monk in the temple yesterday.
A local official in Hengyang City, where the temple is located, said the 1.97 million yuan wasn't a lot of money, considering the toilet was built to a five-star standard.
The fever to bid for a place on the UNESCO list has spread since the beginning of the month, when the World Heritage Committee recognized six Danxia Landform areas in six provinces for the list.
A survey conducted by the newspaper showed that 62 percent of 1,784 respondents said they think spending huge money to get on to the list is not worth it.
Still, according to Xinhua, 35 tourist attractions were applying to be included in the heritage list.
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