Vmesto Zakladok: Extortionate admission fees for tourist attractions in China

Magazine The Economist introduced the Big Mac index in the last century based on the theory of purchasing-power parity: it benchmarks many countries’ prices of a Big Mac burger sold at the local McDonald’s against the U.S. average Big Mac price and thereby enables a comparison between many countries’ currencies. We’ve borrowed the idea to compare entrance fees entrance fees charged by some tourist attractions home and abroad. By calculating how many Big Macs is the admission ticket worth in the country in which the tourist attraction is located, we want to give a more realistic view of how much the ticket cost the country’s average citizens, as the pricing of a Big Mac burger has taken into account many factors, such as food prices and local wages.

For original infographic, see here.

In the same way it has the most toll roads and toll stations in the world, the Middle Kingdom is sprinkled with scenic spots and places of interest that charge an extortionate admission fee. The natural landscape has been divvied up, exploited, annexed and enclosed by local governments as a ready source of money. For example, the renowned Jiuzhai Valley Natural Reserve in Sichuan province charges 220 yuan as admission. However, inside the natural reserve, you will need to pay additional fees: 90 yuan for the sightseeing car, and 120 yuan for a round-trip aerial lift. Or, if you visit Qufu, the hometown of Confucius, the greatest philosopher in Chinese history, you will find that tickets for Confusius Temple, Confucius’ Home, and Confucius Mausoleum are priced respectively at 110 yuan, 75 yuan and 50 yuan. We cannot refrain from sighing over the fact that it costs us an arm and a leg to even visit places inside our own country.

In contrast, ticket prices for tourist haunts abroad are set to match the median income of its citizens. Many attractions are open to the public for free. Some charge a nominal fee. The British Museum, for all its priceless collections, charges no admission fee. Taj Mahal in India charges foreign visitors a 750-rupee entrance fee, whereas an Indian national only has to pay 20 rupees (40 cents). The Grand Canyon in the United States makes the list of World’s Natural Heritage, but the entrance fee is as low as US$25 per vehicle (covering all passengers), and the ticket is 7-day pass. You can even buy an annual pass at 80 dollars for access to over 300 National Parks and Federal recreation sites.

Some people may contend that high entrance fee is a good mechanism for limiting the number of visitors and better preservation of the scenery. However, because of the exclusiveness and scarcity of tourism resources, even if the ticket price were raised from 50 yuan to 500 yuan, a visitor would have the “now-or-never” mentality and suck it up. Look at the National Day Holiday in 2011 (from October 1 to 7). Forbidden City received 130,000 visitors per day, the Great Wall, 64,500, and Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, 50,000. High Prices have clearly failed to serve as a deterrant swarms of sightseers from visiting. (Read: What tourist attractions in China look like during the National Day Holiday)

An incomplete list of ticket prices for tourist attractions in China in the order from the highest to the lowest

Jiuzhai Valley, Sichuan province 310/160 yuan (Tourist season/dull season)

Wuyi Mountains, Fujian province 250 yuan (for three days)

Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, Hubei province 245 yuan

Yellow Mountain, Anhui province 230 yuan

Huanglong Scenic Area, Sichuan province 200 yuan

Potala Palace, Tibet 100 yuan

Mount Jiuhua, Anhui province 190 yuan

Huangguoshu Waterfall, Guizhou province 180 yuan

Mount Lu, Jiangxi province 180 yuan

Mount Everest, Tibet 180 yuan

Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, Yunnan province 160 yuan

Mogao Grottoes, Gansu province 160 yuan