Park administrators in Beijing are apparently unprepared to make Vice-Mayor Zhang Mao's promise of offering free admission to most of the parks in the city a reality.

Zhang, responsible for tourism and economic development, told a work conference on Tuesday that all the non-heritage protected small parks and museums should be made available to the residents free of charge by the end of this year.

The government will compensate losses caused by the free admission, Zhang said.

However, related government bodies and park managers reached by China Daily yesterday revealed the target set by the vice-mayor had not been put on their agenda.

One official at the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Parks, which administers 11 parks including the Temple of Heaven and the Summer Palace, said free park admission is a "mission impossible."

"The admission charge produces a significant contribution to maintain the daily operation and administration of the parks," said the official, surnamed Xue.

The charge, to some extent, is also an important factor in controlling tourist flow in peak seasons, Xue added.

Wu Yulei, an official of the Beijing Tourism Bureau, said making admission to parks free is a complicated issue that needs co-ordination among the bureau of parks, the Beijing Pricing Bureau, and municipal and district governments.

Experts also have their own opinions on the issue.

"All the small and medium-sized parks, especially those close to communities, should be free of charge to the public," said Liu Deqian, researcher of the Tourism Research Centre under the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

"It is a fundamental index to measure the living standard of the residents."

He praised Hangzhou's West Lake for its action in removing its entrance fee in 2002 when most scenery spots across China were talking about price hikes.

The four years since the move have brought no fiscal crisis, but an unexpectedly high profit instead, according to the local park and culture heritage administration.

"The influx of visitors brought numerous business opportunities to all the tour-related facilities and services," Liu said, suggesting that West Lake set a good example for others to follow.

However, Meng Yuxiang, a manager at Beijing's Chaoyang Park, responded calmly to the success at West Lake and said not every tourist spot can have the same result.

"It depends on the function of the park," Meng said.

"Like Chaoyang Park, the entrance fee is only 5 yuan (63 US cents), but it makes up one-fifth of our entire revenue each year."

(China Daily April 13, 2006)