Tourist areas in China are restricting daily entry during the
weeklong National Day holidays to protect the sites.
Jiuzhaigou Valley, one of the most popular
scenic spots in southwest China's Sichuan Province, is limiting admission to
28,000 people a day.
Scenic areas in east China's Zhejiang Province such as the West Lake have
been restricting numbers in September as well.
The
Potala Palace, the most famous landmark in
southwest China's
Tibet Autonomous Region, is restricting daily
admissions to 2,300.
Tourism officials have been putting protection first in
developing tourist areas, said Shao Qiwei, director of the China
National Tourism Administration (CNTA).
"A daily admission limit may disappoint some who have traveled a
long way to spots like the Potala Palace in Tibet, but better
information services and booking systems will gradually solve the
problem," said Liu Xiaowei, a tourism management expert.
During the holidays, Jiuzhaigou Valley's administration controls
admission through on-line ticket selling, which will stop if the
number of visitors exceeds the limit.
Tourism peaks on China's National Day holidays, with tourists
for the 2005 holiday week rising 10.5 percent year on year to 111
million, according to statistics from the CNTA.
"Preferential policies in off-peak seasons will make the
distribution of tourists more reasonable," said Liu.
From this November to March, Jiuzhaigou Valley will sell tickets
at half the price of peak seasons in a bid to draw more visitors in
winter.
(Xinhua News Agency October 1, 2006)