What is the key factor to make the free model of West Lake a win-win situation for tourists and residents?

Hangzhou's "West Lake Free Mode" is not groundless, because in 2002, the Hangzhou municipal government took the lead in tearing down the walls of several independent parks around the West Lake. In that year, urban parks in Beijing and Shanghai began to open for free, so that year was called "the first year of free urban parks" by the media and the Ministry of Construction. In 2003, the "Flower Harbor Fish Watching" and "Quyuan Wind Lotus" in the West Lake also began to be free. In the following ten years, more than 30 scenic spots in Hangzhou, mainly urban parks and museums, were free one after another. Driven by the so-called "West Lake Free Mode" in Hangzhou, many tourists have listed Hangzhou West Lake as their first choice for tourism, and they have also earned a lot of money, including tickets for scenic spots.

However, whenever the ticket price of scenic spots increases, Hangzhou's "West Lake Free Mode" is hotly discussed, and people obviously ignore some problems behind it: First, Wang Yue Tomb, Lingyin Temple and Leifeng Tower are all near the West Lake, but tickets can't be avoided so far; Secondly, the West Lake was originally an urban lake-type open scenic spot that was integrated with the urban area of Hangzhou. Without the fence, it is impossible to build a fence, and it is impossible to collect tickets for the whole West Lake. Third, the West Lake Scenic Area is free of tickets. In fact, the city parks around the West Lake, such as Liulang Wenying and Huagang fish watching, are free of tickets; Fourthly, the free mode has not been applied to Xixi wetland so far.

Therefore, in a sense, the West Lake free ticket is just a new concept that Hangzhou has promoted a business model of "free scenic spots and peripheral consumption" through the gimmick of "free West Lake". Hangzhou has successfully packaged urban parks, museums and other leisure scenic spots as "West Lake Free Mode", which has greatly promoted the development of urban tourism in Hangzhou, enhanced the commercial value of commercial outlets in scenic spots, and intuitively reduced the tourism cost of tourists.

Back in Jinan, the whole Daming Lake is open for free, which is expected to truly turn the "West Lake Free Model" from theory into reality. But this requires Jinan to brainstorm and understand the theoretical value of the "West Lake Model".

Free admission is only the first step, and the most important thing is actually the next two steps: First, on the basis of doing a good job in the management plan of the garden-style scenic spot of the open lake without walls, decisively tear down the original wall of Daming Lake and make the scenic spot completely open; Secondly, vigorously develop urban leisure and holiday formats, highlight the regional cultural characteristics of Jinan like Chengdu Kuanzhai Lane, realize the organic renewal of the cities around Daming Lake, and build Daming Lake and its surroundings into an "urban meeting room" where citizens and tourists interact.