(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-04-29 20:50

The document also required provincial price monitoring departments to take back their pricing rights from lower branches over "significant tourism sites", which analysts applauded as "a belated move to ease public grumbles over expensive scenic spots".

An ironic phenomenon pointed out by Wen Guifang is that significant tourism sites such as ancient mausoleums, famous mountains and nature reserves are often in less developed central and western interiors and function as a crucial source of local financial revenue.

To cash in on the resources, financial-strained local governments preferred to farm them out and were forced to walk the tight rope of considering both contractors' need for profits and the residents' right of easy access to public resources.

"This has triggered a ferocious competition of price rises, and goes against the justified intention of optimizing public services," Wen said.

Taking a glimpse of the quoted prices for prestigious scenic spots from the China Youth Travel Service for instance, one will spot a unanimous spike for peak-season admission fees, with Jiuzhaigou resort in Sichuan charging 310 yuan (US$ 44.34) and Lushan Mountain 200 yuan, a rise of 45 yuan to 150 yuan respectively from the off-season.

Compared to the 1,149 yuan average monthly disposable income for urban dwellers and the 349 yuan for rural residents last year, such admission charges remain forbiddingly high.

Wen recognized that the overhaul came after the NDRC released a detailed pricing method last February amid public grumbles over costly tourist sites.

Under that method issued to all provincial-level price monitoring departments, the NDRC has ordered governmental departments to alert the public of their price rise intentions at least two months in advance and banned tourist site management from using admission fee income to bankroll pay rises, bonus and other benefits distribution for employees.

Entrance charge should be raised at least every three years, it said.

NDRC spokesman Li Pumin warned Tuesday at the press conference violating governmental departments would face punishment in line with the Price Law.

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