(December 21, 2020)

SMDRC D [2020] No. 23

 

Attention: the Development & Reform Commissions, the Administrations of Culture and Tourism, the Landscaping & City Appearance Administrative Bureaus and the Administration for Market Regulation of all Districts, and relevant units:

With a view to further regulating the ticket pricing of tourist spots, maintaining the price order of the tourism market, protecting the lawful rights and interests of consumers and operators, and promoting the healthy development of tourism in this Municipality, we revised the Procedures of Shanghai Municipality for the Administration over Prices of Entrance Tickets of Tourist Spots. We hereby issue the revised Procedures to you and request you to implement them conscientiously.

 

Procedures of Shanghai Municipality for the Administration over

Prices of Entrance Tickets of Tourist Spots

 

Article 1 With a view to regulating the ticket pricing of tourist spots, maintaining the price order of the tourism market, protecting the lawful rights and interests of consumers and operators, and promoting the healthy development of tourism in this Municipality, these Procedures are formulated in accordance with the Price Law of the People’s Republic of China, the Tourism Law of the People’s Republic of China, the Guideline of the National Development and Reform Commission on Improving the Entrance Ticket Pricing Mechanism of State-owned Scenic Spots and Reducing the Prices of Entrance Tickets to Key State-owned Scenic Spots (NDRC P No. 951 [2018]), and the Shanghai Municipal Price Catalogue.

Article 2 These Procedures apply to natural landscapes, cultural landscapes, parks and other types of tourist spots within the territory of Shanghai, not including places for religious activities.

Article 3 The competent price departments at all levels are the departments in charge of the prices of entrance tickets and related services of tourist spots, and shall regulate the prices of entrance tickets and related services of tourist spots according to law.

The administrative departments of culture and tourism, landscaping & City appearance, and market regulation at all levels shall, in accordance with their respective functions and duties, strengthen the administration of tourist spots.

Article 4 The prices of entrance tickets and related services of tourist spots shall be guided by the government and adjusted by the market.

1. For entrance tickets of tourist spots built upon public resources (national natural resources, cultural resources, government funds, etc.), and transportation and other services which are provided by tourist spots and tourists cannot choose on their own, government-guided prices shall be applied.

2. The prices of tickets and related services for tourist spots which are not the construction of public resources shall be subject to market adjustment.

Article 5 To set or adjust the entrance ticket prices of tourist spots subject to government-guided prices administration, procedures such as price supervision and examination or cost investigation, public hearing, legality review, collective deliberation, price decision making and timely public announcements shall be performed in strict accordance with the provisions of the Rules for the Pricing Activities of Governments (Order No. 7 of the National Development and Reform Commission) and the Rules of Shanghai Municipality for Pricing Activities of Governments. To reduce the entrance ticket prices, summary procedures may be adopted according to relevant provisions. Free entrance to tourist spots shall be announced to the public in a timely manner without performing other pricing procedures.

Article 6 The entrance ticket prices of tourist spots subject to government-guided prices administration shall be separately regulated by the municipal or district level, and shall be divided through the administration catalogue for dynamic adjustment.

1. The municipal competent price department shall be responsible for formulating the municipal provisions on the administration of entrance ticket prices, formulating and promulgating the municipal administration catalogue, setting the entrance ticket prices of representative tourist spots that enjoy high reputation at home and abroad with a large number of tourists, coordinating and balancing the municipal price level of entrance tickets, and guiding the administration of entrance ticket prices of all districts;

2. The district people’s government shall set the entrance ticket prices of the tourist spots that are not listed on the municipal administration catalogue within its jurisdiction, and its competent price department shall be responsible for the specific work of price setting and formulate and promulgate the administration catalogue at the corresponding level;

3. The administrative level responsible for entrance ticket prices of newly built tourist spots with municipal (or above) financial input as the main factor shall be determined by the municipal competent price department. The entrance ticket prices of other newly built tourist spots shall be set by the local district people’s government; and

4. The pricing authority of transportation services within tourist spots shall be consistent with the entrance ticket pricing authority of the said tourist spots.

Article 7 The prices of the tickets for the tourist sites guided by the government shall be set in accordance with the principle of “compensating reasonable operating costs and maintaining the overall balance of income and expenditure”, and the price shall be basically stable and strictly controlled.

1. The cost of entrance ticket prices shall be strictly limited to the reasonable expenses needed to maintain the normal operation of the tourist spots within the tour area, mainly including:

(1) protection expenditure of natural resources and cultural heritage;

(2) cost of facilities operation and maintenance, personnel remuneration and financial expenses incurred in providing tourists with basic tour services; and

(3) depreciation of fixed assets that are needed to provide tourists with basic tour services.

The expenses of tourist spots that shall be borne by governments at all levels according to law, and the expenses unrelated to the normal operation of tourist spots shall not be included in the cost of entrance ticket prices of tourist spots; subsidies provided by governments at all levels, separate service fees that have already been paid for, and the franchise income of the tourist spots shall offset the cost of entrance ticket prices of tourist spots.

 

2. Public welfare urban parks, museums, memorials and other tourist spots, except the key cultural relics protection units and precious cultural relics collection units, shall gradually implement free opening.

3. Cableways, sightseeing buses, cruise ships and other transportation services that can not be chosen by tourists shall be priced according to the principle of protecting resources and the environment, facilitating tourists and safeguarding the lawful rights and interests of consumers and operators.

As for the tourist spots of which the entrance tickets are subject to market-adjusted prices, operators shall set or adjust the entrance ticket prices according to the operating costs, the market supply and demand conditions and other factors, and follow the principles of fairness, legality and good faith to provide consumers with quality services conforming to the prices.

Article 8 In principle, the one-ticket system shall be applied to all tourist spots, and the following entrance ticket prices of tour sites subject to government-guided prices administration shall be subject to the approval of the competent price department:

1. separate charges for special venues built with the approval of the higher competent department within the tourist spots (including free opening tourist sites);

2. joint tickets, when ordinary tickets, tickets for special venues and tickets for adjacent tourist spots need to be combined for the convenience of tourists; and

3. temporary charges, when temporary exhibitions (activities) held within tourist sites (including free opening tourist sites) need to collect charges or adjust the entrance ticket prices.

For tourist spots with strong seasonality, the entrance ticket prices in off-season and peak season may be set separately, and the ticket prices of off/peak season shall maintain a reasonable price relationship.

Article 9 To meet the people’s demands for a better life, the operators of tourist spots shall be supported to hold temporary exhibitions (activities) with distinctive themes and high ornamental value in combination with their own situation.

Temporary exhibitions (activities) held in tourist spots (including free opening tourist spots) subject to government-guided prices administration shall be free in principle. For temporary exhibitions (activities) which have great ornamental value and high cost input, entrance charges may be collected or the entrance ticket price may be adjusted if the operators file an application, which is examined and approved by the competent department at the higher level and approved by the competent price department.  

The cumulative time of holding temporary exhibitions (activities) in tourist spots subject to  government-guided prices administration shall not exceed 6 months each year.

Article 10 To apply for price-setting decisions or price-adjustment approval of the entrance tickets of tourist spots subject to government-guided prices administration, the operator shall submit a written application, which shall be reported to the competent price department after being examined by the relevant competent department for the sector. The application materials mainly include:

1. Relevant qualification materials of the operator;

2. Basic situation of the tourist spot, and the audit report of the operation conditions of the past three years issued by a qualified intermediary institution; newly built tourist spots shall provide the construction investment, operation management and other related information;

3. Bases and reasons for the proposed setting or adjustment of the entrance ticket prices, the unit price adjustment and range of the price adjustment;

4. Analysis of the impact of entrance ticket price setting or adjustment on economy and society;

5. The examination opinions of the higher competent department; and

6. Other information that the competent price department deems necessary.

Article 11 For tourist spots subject to government-guided prices administration, the increase of entrance ticket prices shall be announced to the public six months in advance, and the frequency of the same ticket price increase shall not be less than three years. During the bank holidays and within one month before, the entrance ticket prices of tourist spots shall not be raised in any form. If temporary exhibitions (activities) need to collect charges or adjust the entrance ticket prices, the announcement time may be shortened appropriately.

For the tourist spots subject to government-guided price administration, the adjustment range of specific prices and time period for peak season tickets shall be announced to the public 3 months in advance, and reported to the competent price department. The total time for price raising in peak season shall not exceed 6 months per year.

Article 12 For the entrance ticket prices subject to government-guided prices administration, the adjustment range of single price increase is: for a ticket less than 50 yuan, a price increase shall not exceed 35% of the original price; for a ticket from 50 yuan to 100 yuan (including 50 yuan), a price increase shall not exceed 30% of the original; for a ticket from 100 yuan to 200 yuan (including 100 yuan) a price increase shall not exceed 25% of the original; for a ticket more than 200 yuan (including 200 yuan), a price increase shall not exceed 15% of the original. If the ticket discount to travel agencies and other groups exceeds 20%, the ticket price shall be re-approved.

Article 13 The entrance ticket prices of tourist spots set at the district level shall generally not be higher than those of the same type of tourist spots regulated by the municipal level. If there are special circumstances, the price department at the district level shall obtain consent of the municipal competent price department before approval.

If tickets for different tourist spots or tickets for different venues in the same tourist spot are sold in combination, the combined price shall not be higher than the sum of the prices of individual tickets, and tourists have the right to choose and buy individual tickets.

Article 14 Tourist spots subject to government-guided prices administration shall, within 15 days after setting specific ticket prices within the scope of guidance price, and tourist spots subject to market-adjustment prices shall, within 15 days after independently setting and adjusting entrance ticket prices, submit information such as ticket prices and preferential measures to the competent price department.

Article 15 The following preferential policies shall be implemented for the entrance ticket prices of tourist spots subject to government-guided prices administration:

1. Children under the height of 1.3 meters (including 1.3) or under the age of 6 (including 6) shall enjoy a free entrance;

2. Minors between 6 and 18 years of age, full-time undergraduate students or under, shall be entitled to half-price tickets;

3. The elderly aged 60 or above shall enjoy the reduction and exemption;

4. Disabled persons with valid certificates shall enjoy a free entrance;

5. Active military servicemen, disabled soldiers, survivors of martyrs, survivors of soldiers who died in the line of duty, survivors of deceased soldiers, and families of active servicemen with valid certificates shall enjoy preferential treatment for price reduction or ticket exemption according to the provisions;

6. On-the-job, retired, disabled fire rescue personnel (including government full-time firefighters) and fire rescue college students who visit parks, scenic spots, and cultural relics and museum units open to the public with valid certificates, shall enjoy the same preferential treatment for price reduction or ticket exemption as active servicemen;

7. Red tourist sites and patriotism education bases shall give preferential treatment to students and other groups in accordance with the relevant provisions of the State and this Municipality;

8. Other circumstances that give rise to preferential treatment as provided for by laws, rules and policy documents; and

9. Tourist spots shall gradually establish a free opening day system.

These preferential measures may be implemented by the tourist spots subject to market-adjusted prices.

The operators of the tourist spots may expand or further the practice of preferential treatment according to the actual circumstances.

Article 16 Tourist spots shall strictly implement the provisions on marking clearly the prices, and publicize the prices of entrance tickets, the charging items and standards related to entrance tickets, the specific scope and standards of ticket reduction and exemption and related services charged separately in eye-catching positions on their websites and price list outside booking offices; for scenic spots with through tickets or joint tickets, the prices of the through tickets or joint tickets, the charging items and standards related to the tickets, and the specific scope and standards of price reduction and exemption shall also be publicized.

Tourist spots with a large number of overseas tourists shall publicize the information in the above provisions in both Chinese and English, or more than two languages.

Article 17 A uniform price policy for entrance tickets of tourist spots and transportation services in them shall apply to both locals and outsiders indiscriminately, with the principle of the same price the same quality.

Article 18 After the price-setting of the entrance ticket subject to government-guided prices administration, the competent price department shall conduct follow-up supervision over the implementation of the ticket prices, and conduct an evaluation every three years, focusing on the changes in the number of tourists, operating costs and balance of income and expenditure, as well as the public opinions of society on the ticket prices, and promptly adjust the ticket price according to the evaluation results.

Article 19 The competent price department shall, in conjunction with relevant departments, establish and improve the disciplinary mechanism for price dishonesty in tourist spots, and incorporate the punishment information of the operators of tourist spots for failing to implement relevant price policies and disrupting the price order of tourist spots into the Municipal Public Credit Service Platform, and implement joint punishment according to laws, rules and regulations.

Article 20 Illegal acts in connection with prices or violation of relevant industry regulations shall be punished by the relevant departments in accordance with the Price Law of the People’s Republic of China, the Tourism Law of the People’s Republic of China and other laws and rules.

Article 21 These Procedures shall be interpreted by Shanghai Municipal Development & Reform Commission, Shanghai Municipal Administration of Culture and Tourism, Shanghai  Landscaping & City Appearance Administrative Bureau and Shanghai Municipal Administration for Market Regulation within their respective functions and duties.

Article 22 These Procedures shall be effective as of February 1, 2021 and remain in force until January 31, 2026. The Notice on Issuing the Procedures of Shanghai Municipality for the Administration over Prices of Entrance Tickets of Tourist Spots (SPF [2012] No. 002) by Shanghai Municipal Bureau of Price, Shanghai Municipal Administration of Culture and Tourism, and Shanghai Landscaping & City Appearance Administrative Bureau shall be repealed at the same time.