Chinese complain as foreigners get free entry to Jiangxi’s top tourist sites
Authorities say they are trying to lure more overseas visitors to the province
A province in eastern China has come under fire ahead of the seven-day “golden week” holiday that begins on Monday for letting foreigners visit its top 10 scenic spots for free while Chinese have to pay.
Many tourism sites across mainland China offer discounted tickets or even free entry for local residents who show their identity card. But Jiangxi is the first province to extend this privilege to foreign visitors instead, and its decision has not gone down well with locals or domestic tourists.
The provincial authorities said they decided to waive entry fees for foreigners because they want to attract more overseas visitors to Jiangxi, and also to get more travellers through its international airport in the capital Nanchang.
Tourist attractions included in the Jiangxi province scheme include Unesco World Heritage Site Mount Lu, which usually costs 180 yuan (US$26) to get into during peak season. Mount Longhu, where entry tickets are 175 yuan, and Mount Sanqing, 150 yuan, are also on the list, as is the Ancient Kiln Folk Customs Museum in Jingdezhen, China’s porcelain capital, where entry is 95 yuan.
Any tourist with an overseas passport and a boarding pass for a flight arriving at Changbei Nanchang airport does not have to pay for entry to the 10 designated sites in the province, year-round. But Chinese tourists – whether they are from Jiangxi or anywhere else in the country – still have to pay the entry fees.
Although the new Jiangxi tourism pricing was introduced in May, many mainland Chinese have taken to social media to criticise the policy in the lead-up to the October 1 National Day holiday, when a lot of people will use the week off to travel.
