Walking into the Wulingyuan scenic area in Zhangjiajie, central China's Hunan Province, may soon cost a little more.

Following a public hearing yesterday, the entrance fare to the area may be raised from the current 158 yuan (US$19) to 243 yuan (US$29.5), said the Wulingyuan Tourism Bureau, which submitted the proposal to the local price administration a few months ago.

The feasibility of the price adjustment is based on a yearlong study by experts from Shanghai-based Fudan University and the Hunan Provincial Price Bureau.

The public hearing held yesterday was used as a sounding board to readjust ticket prices, said Qin Wenle, of the city's price bureau, who believes the new prices will kick in next April.

An overwhelming 34 delegates among the total 35 attendees agreed to the proposed plan. The attendees include 16 consumers, 14 members from related administrations and five from randomly selected people who show interest in the discussion.

Among the 16 consumers, four are from outside the province, including Beijing, Shanghai and Zhuhai in South China's Guangdong Province and Hainan Province.

Wen Chunying, a publisher from Hainan, agreed with the adjusted price, but she said the quality of the general service and equipment available should be improved accordingly.

Qin told that there is a huge gap between the development costs of the scenic area and the level of national funding it receives.

The gap should be filled by both the local government and visitors, Qin said. He added the city has raked up 690 million yuan (US$84 million) in debts for tourism in recent years.

Zhangjiajie receives tens of millions of tourists every year, and revenue has topped 3 billion yuan (US$360 million) over the last two decades, statistics show.

(China Daily December 29, 2004)