Are there any fees for foreign scenic spots?

Everyone knows that the ticket prices for various enclosures in major scenic spots in our country are extremely high. With the gradual improvement of people’s living standards, a large number of Chinese people have begun to travel and vacation abroad. I was surprised to find that a large number of foreign attractions do not charge admission fees. I will share with you a detailed analysis below.

Most foreign attractions do not charge admission fees

The British Museum in London does not charge admission fees, Japan's Mount Fuji does not charge admission fees, and there are attractions everywhere in Rome, Italy, and most of them do not charge admission fees_These are not How do fee-charging attractions maintain daily operations?

When traveling during the holidays, attraction tickets are a big expense, and ticket prices can easily reach hundreds. For example, the peak season ticket for Jiuzhaigou Valley in Sichuan is 220 yuan, and the Potala Palace in Tibet is 220 yuan. 200 yuan in peak season, 230 yuan in Huangshan Scenic Area, and 245 yuan in Zhangjiajie. If you look at attractions in Taiwan and abroad, you will find that many attractions in Taiwan and abroad are free of charge, and even the charged prices are very low. In comparison, China Tickets for scenic spots in mainland China are simply the most expensive in the world!

There is no charge for overseas scenic spots

It is a common practice abroad for free attractions or only a nominal fee. Japan's parks and natural landscapes are basically free and open to the public. There is no entrance fee to the famous Mount Fuji, and Fuji-Izu-Hakone National Park, which consists of Mount Fuji and surrounding lakes, volcanic geological formations and other natural landscapes, is free. Ueno Park, a famous cherry blossom viewing spot, does not charge entrance fees and you can enter at will. Even Yakushima in Kagoshima Prefecture, which is listed on the World Natural Heritage List, does not require a ticket.

Ticket prices for French tourist attractions are basically below 10 euros (approximately RMB 90). On the first Sunday of every month, the Louvre in France is free all day. London, England is known as the "free city" - the British Museum in London, England is open for free, Hyde Park, Prince Regent's Park and almost all parks are open for free. Rome, Italy is full of attractions, but fees are limited to museums and some important historical sites. Only a few attractions, such as the Vatican Museums and the Colosseum, have tickets for more than 10 euros. In the United States, cultural heritage parks such as Independence Hall in Philadelphia and the Statue of Liberty in New York do not charge tickets; tickets for world natural heritage parks such as the Grand Canyon and Yellowstone Park are $10 each, and minors under 16 years old are free.

Someone made statistics and found that the price of tickets to foreign scenic spots generally does not exceed 1% of per capita monthly income, while in China the figure exceeds 7%. It can be said that tickets to Chinese scenic spots are the most expensive in the world. Some people ridicule He said that there will never be another figure like Xu Xiake in mainland China, and the tickets alone cannot afford it.

Not only in foreign countries, but also in Taiwan, attractions generally do not charge fees. The "Red Mao Castle" located at the mouth of the Tamsui River in Taipei is the oldest castle in northern Taiwan. It has a history of more than 300 years. It is said that it was built in 1626 during the Spanish occupation of Taiwan.

The castle later became It has occupied the territories of the Netherlands, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States, and has witnessed Taiwan's nearly four hundred years of ups and downs. It can be said to be the most dazzling monument on the island of Taiwan. This castle with great tourism value does not charge admission fees, and tourists can visit freely when they come here.

In fact, except for the scenic spots created by private investment, most scenic spots in Taiwan do not charge admission fees, including Sun Moon Lake and Taroko Gorge Park in the east of Taiwan Island. There are no temples in Taiwan. There is a fee.

Taiwan’s museums only charge a nominal and very low fee. Taking the National Palace Museum in Taipei as an example, the price of a general admission ticket is NT$160, or about RMB 35. Students enjoy a half-price discount, and seniors over 65 years old, preschoolers and low-income people are free.

Free is more cost-effective than paid fees

Scenic spot tickets are a huge amount of income. Why don’t Taiwan and foreign countries charge tourists? Not to mention that scenic spots also have various management costs. This is not Is it a discount? In fact, it is more profitable if the scenic spot does not charge any fees.

Take Taiwan as an example, all are maintained and operated by government agencies. Although there is no admission fee, the pull effect is obvious. The local retail industry, catering industry, hotel industry and transportation industry have all developed due to the arrival of tourists, and the government's annual tax revenue has also increased as a result.

The increase in taxes increases the budget expenses of Taiwan's tourism agencies every year, and these expenses are eventually returned to the scenic spots for maintenance and operation.

In fact, there are also cases in mainland China where scenic spots have greatly benefited from being free of charge. This is China's West Lake. West Lake is the only 5A-level scenic spot in the country that does not require admission tickets. In 2003, Hangzhou demolished the wall around the lake and opened the park around the lake free of charge 24 hours a day.

The once isolated small parks have become a large park around the lake 3 kilometers long from north to south, open 24 hours a day for free. A year later, Hangzhou opened free of charge two parks listed among the "Top Ten Scenic Spots of the West Lake", including Hangzhou Flower Garden, Huagang Fish Viewing Park, and Quyuan Fenghe Park, truly free of charge along the lake.

Free and open, but not without cost. Someone has calculated an account and found that the original annual ticket revenue of the West Lake Park is about 26 million yuan, which can basically offset the annual park management and garden maintenance costs of about 30 million yuan. After the ticket is waived, all these costs will need to be borne by the government. What should the government do?

But it doesn’t matter. It seems that the government has a heavy burden, but in exchange it will get greater business opportunities and benefits.

Since the West Lake Park stopped charging tickets in 2003, tourism revenue has doubled. By 2008, the "Free West Lake" has created a cumulative value of 20 billion yuan, an increase of more than 10 times compared with before charging.

< p> Not only does it create more job opportunities and bring prosperity to businesses around West Lake, it also brings more tax revenue to the government. In contrast, the annual ticket loss is only 26 million yuan, which is much lower than after the ticket exemption. The tax revenue created shows that free tickets are not a loss-making business.

How to solve the new problems caused by free access?

Some people say that free opening will not lead to the problem of too many tourists destroying scenic spots?

The fact is that , such a problem did not occur. Looking at Hangzhou now, the number of free attractions is still expanding, but the West Lake has become more beautiful and the urban environment has become better - the West Lake is not more crowded. Because with the increase in West Lake tourism tax revenue, the government can invest more funds and improve management levels so that the scenic spot can achieve orderly flow even if more tourists are added.

What if the space of the attraction is too small to accommodate more tourists? Some provincial parks in Taiwan are worried that the ecological environment will be damaged because they do not charge tickets and too many tourists will come, so they have adopted restrictions. Registration method: If you want to visit, you must make a reservation one month in advance to limit the number of people entering the park each day.

Some museums in mainland China now use reservation methods to limit passenger flow. This method not only effectively limits the flow of tourists to popular attractions, but also solves the issue of fairness to the public as an attraction, allowing the public, rich or poor, to visit Have equal opportunity to visit popular attractions. However, the fees for scenic spots are too high, which limits the rights of ordinary people to visit popular scenic spots, making ordinary people sigh when looking at scenic spots, resulting in inequality between the rich and the poor.

The experience of Taiwan, foreign countries and my country's West Lake all shows that free is the way to make big money at the expense of "small money". Tickets are a small calculation of attractions. Free tickets attract more foreign tourists and extend the stay of tourists in the city. The economic benefits brought to the local area will far exceed the value of the tickets.

Reprinted from "Big Technology Magazine"