Jiuzhaigou tourism is now in the midst of its busy season. Since Tuesday, the one-way price of Chengdu to Jiuzhaigou flights has risen to up to 1,060 yuan. The average price increase of round-trip Chengdu-Jiuzhaigou flights is about 200 yuan.

According to Zhang Lingjie, an official of the domestic tourism section of CITS, on Tuesday said Jiuzhaigou has become busy recently and the number of customers choosing to fly from Chengdu to Jiuzhaigou now accounts for 20 percent of total visitors. In addition to flying, the only other way from Chengdu to Jiuzhaigou is by bus, which takes more than 10 hours. The arduous journey may be the reason why people are still more likely to travel by air regardless of the rising ticket price.

Sources from Chengdu Airlines say the flight from Chengdu to Jiuzhaigou is a more technical route over high altitudes. Airplanes flying this route cost more to operate. In addition, flight maintenance costs are increasing, oil prices are continuously rising and the environmental conditions of related airports are more complicated during the busy summer season. All of the above elements are factors the General Administration of Aviation of China took into consideration when it decided to increase the Chengdu-Jiuzhaigou flight ticket price on August 1.

Prices have risen across the board in the whole domestic tourism market. Price hikes for Tibet tourism have been the most obvious. Some tourism routes once costing 4,000 yuan have reached 6,000 yuan recently in Tibet.

(CRIENGLISH.com August 3, 2006)