1,800 scenic spots earn the badge of 'price trusted'

Chaoyang Park in Beijing is one of the 1,801 "price trusted" tourist attractions. [Photo/IC]

A total of 1,801 tourist attractions have been included in the "price trusted" list by China National Tourism Administration (CNTA) after agreements that include not raising prices for three years.

The deal revealed on Monday comes after the tourism administration's three-year campaign launched in March to deepen the reform of ticket prices across the nation.

To be recognized as "price trusted" by CNTA, the scenic spot has to meet six requirements: use a single price, no price fraud, offer discount to special groups, advance booking privilege, publish price component and no price rise in three years.

The 1,801 scenic spots from 30 provinces and cities have signed the agreement to become the first batch. The tourism admission will regularly review the list to remove those no longer meeting the requirements.

However, local media has noticed that some of the top rated tourist attractions, including the Palace Museum, were not seen in the list.

An associated staff with CNTA said that those listed volunteered to apply, not selected by the administration. That's to say, a tourist spot can choose whether to join the list according to the requirements.

Some of the scenic spots said they were not aware of the program and might join next time. At the same time, the requirement of adopting a single price ticket might have become the threshold for many, including the Palace Museum.

Although the Palace Museum has not raised its admission ticket for 12 years, visitors have to pay extra fee to enter the jewelry and watch galleries. The Summer Palace is in the same situation.

CNTA said they will keep promoting the program and update the list ahead of summer vacation in July and the golden week of National Day holiday.