Reporter investigation: Is the shuttle bus in the scenic area expensive and troublesome? Tourists have roast about tickets | scenic spots | journalists
Summer vacation is approaching, and the peak of summer outings is also approaching. With the tourism boom sparked by the May Day holiday and the recently concluded Dragon Boat Festival holiday, while major scenic spots are overcrowded with tourists, negative reviews have also begun to emerge. In recent days, reporters have found that some scenic spots not only have problems with the planning and setting of sightseeing buses and shuttle buses, but also have a full range of fees, including some 5A level well-known scenic spots. Experts have expressed that the conventional approach has always been unpopular. With the arrival of a new round of tourism boom, tourism consumption methods and concepts are undergoing significant changes. Scenic area managers need to use more new tourism formats to please target tourists and encourage them to actively and voluntarily make secondary consumption.
Sightseeing buses "shake off guests", and you still need to walk outside the scenic area
Recently, several tourists have reported that when taking a sightseeing bus to the Huangguoshu Scenic Area in Anshun, Guizhou, the parking point is not at the entrance or exit of the scenic area, but on a commercial street. It takes a long time to walk through the commercial street. If you spend more money to become a VIP VIP, you can pick up and drop off the bus, which can avoid taking these unfair roads. For this reason, tourist "momo" questioned, "Isn't the sightseeing bus directly delivered to the exit? Why do we put people down halfway, walk for more than ten or twenty minutes, and pass by the commercial street halfway?"
Shuttle bus in Huangguoshu Waterfall Scenic Area in roast.
The reporter found that Huangguoshu Scenic Spot is a 5A scenic spot. On the official official account of the scenic spot, adult tickets are 190 yuan, including sightseeing bus tickets, escalator tickets and insurance. The VIP carpool fare for VIP guests is 358 yuan, including tickets, carpool services, escalators, and insurance.
The reporter contacted Huangguoshu Scenic Area. The staff responsible for customer service confirmed that if purchasing a regular ticket and exiting the Tianxingqiao scenic spot, the shuttle bus is indeed parked on the commercial street. Tourists need to walk some way back to the entrance of the scenic area. If there are elderly people accompanying, the walking time is about half an hour, which belongs to the planning of the scenic area. If you want a VIP ticket, you can directly pick up tourists and go to various attractions without walking for a while.
Subsequently, the reporter reported the situation to the Anshun Municipal Bureau of Culture, Sports, Radio, Television, and Tourism. The staff responsible for handling tourism complaints stated that they have received similar complaints before. It is understood that both the scenic path and sightseeing lane have been approved by relevant departments. The road section leading to the entrance of the scenic area is relatively narrow and has many bends. When there are fewer tourists, they can be picked up and dropped off. However, when there are more tourists, considering safety, it is not possible to pick them up one by one.
Online bundled sales of "ticket+train ticket"
Recently, the Huanghe Hukou Waterfall, a 5A level scenic spot, has entered its best viewing period in summer, attracting many tourists. Some tourists said about roast that if you want to buy tickets for Hukou Waterfall Scenic Area on the Yellow River, you must buy tickets to attract attention.
It is understood that the Hukou Waterfall of the Yellow River has observation platforms in both Shaanxi and Shanxi. On the ticket buying page of the official official account of Hukou Waterfall Tourist Area on the Yellow River, the reporter found that the ticket price of the scenic spot is 100 yuan, and the ticket price of the sightseeing bus is 40 yuan, so you can buy tickets separately. The reporter called the Yellow River Hukou Waterfall Tourist Area, and the staff also said that tickets can be purchased separately. However, self driving and other transportation means cannot enter the scenic area, and the round-trip distance is nearly 20 kilometers. You need to take a sightseeing bus, but it is voluntary and not mandatory.
On the ticket buying page of the official official account of Hukou Waterfall Tourist Area on the Yellow River, the reporter found that all types of tickets include tickets, such as full price tickets+120 yuan tickets, half price tickets for students+70 yuan tickets, which are sold together with tickets. Regarding this, the reporter contacted the scenic area, and the staff said that purchasing tickets separately can only be done offline through on-site purchasing. If purchasing tickets online, it includes train tickets. Why is online ticket purchase without detailed explanation? The staff said that online packages are all combined tickets. Because the parking lot is outside the scenic area, self driving is not allowed to enter the scenic area. The ticket is for a small transportation fee of 20 yuan for a round trip. Of course, if you choose to walk in the scenic area, it is also possible, with a one-way distance of about 4 kilometers. However, bicycles, balance bikes, and other means of transportation can enter.
Online ticket purchase at Hukou Waterfall, ticket bundled with train ticket for sale.
Subsequently, the reporter also reported the relevant situation to the Cultural and Tourism Bureau of Jixian County, Shanxi Province. The staff stated that they will report to the leader, but as of the time of the reporter's press release, they have not received a response yet.
The shuttle bus is segmented and charged according to the number of times
At the beginning of June, the tourist "Lan Zhanfei" roast that as a 5A scenic spot, Xinjiang Kanas scenic spot has a poor sense of tourism experience. It is clear that a shuttle bus can go to the destination, but it has to be divided into three vehicles, and the fees are still charged in sections. "If you have bought a ticket, you will be forced to buy a bus ticket. If you go to Kanas Lake, you will also be forced to buy another round of tickets. If you win the ticket!" In response, Kanas Scenic Area replied that the distance between scenic spots and scenic spots, as well as between scenic spots, is relatively long, and the itinerary and route of tourists are different. Tourists can transfer to a shuttle bus at the transfer center of each scenic spot to go to each scenic spot according to their travel needs. The infrastructure such as parking lots and service stations has not been completed yet. Vehicles need to be parked at the Jiadengyu parking lot to transfer to a free shuttle bus to the Kanas scenic area ticket station to purchase tickets and enter the park. Therefore, an additional shuttle bus transfer is required. The reporter also found relevant price announcements on the website of the scenic area.
The reporter noticed that some tourists roast that other scenic spots charge by the number of times. Some tourists have reported that the ticket price for the Xijiang Qianhu Miao Village Scenic Area in Leishan County, Guizhou Province already includes the ticket price for a 4-way sightseeing bus. However, upon arrival at the scenic area, they found that each sightseeing bus is only about 1 kilometer long and it is a single trip. If the total number of trips exceeds 4, an additional fee of 5 yuan per trip is required. For this reason, the reporter contacted thousands of Miao Village scenic spots, and the staff said that the usual ticket price is around 100 yuan. Recently, the ticket price has been halved, and the adult 50% discount ticket price is 65 yuan. The one-way distance is 1.1 kilometers, and if you take the sightseeing bus for more than 4 trips, you do need to pay extra. The fees are approved by the competent department, and there are also relevant documents published. Generally speaking, after visiting the scenic spot, you take the sightseeing bus for about 4-6 times. The staff revealed that they have indeed received similar complaints from tourists, and they can only provide feedback. Regarding this, the Leishan County Bureau of Culture, Sports, Radio, Film, Television and Tourism stated that the fee stated that the ticket includes the number of 4-way sightseeing buses, and if the number exceeds the prescribed limit, an additional fee will be required, which is no problem.
The parking lot is far from the scenic area, and after purchasing a ticket, you also need to buy a train ticket
A tourist claimed that the Shilin Scenic Area in Kunming, Yunnan is a super "pit" that prohibits self driving into the area. After parking the car, they went to the tourist center to buy a ticket for 130 yuan and found that it takes a 3-kilometer walk to the entrance of the scenic area. If they don't walk, they can only spend 25 yuan on a shuttle bus. The tourist was puzzled and said, "The ticket is 130 yuan, it's not cheap anymore. After buying the ticket, you also need to buy a shuttle ticket. Since it's not a tourist's problem, why do tourists need to pay for the scenic area?"
The reporter found through investigation that Shilin Scenic Area is a 5A level scenic area. The customer service staff of the scenic area told reporters that there is a dedicated parking lot outside the scenic area, and all vehicles can only park in the parking lot. The tourist center is indeed 3 kilometers away from the entrance and exit of the scenic area, and you can walk or choose a shuttle bus for a round trip of 25 yuan. As for why the tourist center is so far from the entrance and exit of the scenic area, the staff replied that in the past, the tourist center was located at the entrance and exit of the scenic area, and during the evaluation and review of the scenic area level, it was required to have a distance interval. The scenic area is a natural oxygen bar. If all cars enter, exhaust emissions will affect the air quality inside the scenic area.
Some tourists also claim that in addition to the 225 yuan package ticket, they need to purchase a separate 80 yuan bus ticket to reach the main peak of Tianchi in Changbai Mountain, Jilin. A tourism blogger recently drove to the entrance of the scenic area and was told that he cannot buy tickets. He must drive 35 kilometers back to the town to buy tickets and then take a bus to enter the scenic area. Regarding this, the scenic area stated that it is now unified to take a bus from the town to the scenic area, and self driving is not allowed.
The reporter noticed that in places far from the entrance and exit of the scenic area, it is common to build tourist distribution centers or parking lots, refuse tourists to drive in, and allow them to purchase tickets before spending money on shuttle buses or sightseeing buses to travel to the interior of the scenic area. Last year, the "Sky Mirror" Chaka Salt Lake Scenic Area in Qinghai was widely questioned for setting up a tourist distribution center 5 kilometers away from the entrance of the scenic area and charging a shuttle fee of 30 yuan per person. Afterwards, the scenic area announced that starting from July 12th last year, tourists will be able to ride eco-friendly sightseeing buses for free and will no longer be charged a fare of 30 yuan.
Expert analysis
Scenic spots should consider how to encourage tourists to actively make secondary consumption
Mou Hong, a professor of tourism management at Chongqing University of Technology and an expert in the expert database of China Tourism Research Institute, said that shuttle buses and sightseeing buses in scenic spots are created for the convenience of tourists. In order to pursue maximum profits, scenic area managers have gradually developed them into a way for scenic spots to make profits. Like tickets, cableways, etc., they have become an important source of profit for scenic spots. "We often see that the fees for sightseeing buses and shuttle buses in some scenic spots are expensive, often ranging from tens to hundreds of yuan, or the settings are unreasonable. The core tourist points are too far from the entrance of the scenic area, and tourists have to choose to take shuttle buses. Scenic spots have profits, but in reality, tourists have no choice, which brings a very bad experience to tourists." This can lead to tourists' dissatisfaction and complaints
How to break the game? Mou Hong believes that routines have always been unpopular. With the arrival of a new round of tourism boom, tourism consumption methods and concepts are undergoing tremendous changes. The emergence of new tourism experiences such as "special forces" tourism and night climbing is driving the high-quality and healthy development of scenic spots. Therefore, for scenic spot managers, they should actively adapt to new tourism gameplay, new methods, and new experiences, create more tourism formats, increase profit points, win the favor of target tourists, and encourage tourists to actively and voluntarily engage in secondary consumption. Only in this way can the so-called sightseeing bus and shuttle bus routines be easily solved. At the same time, for the regulatory authorities, they should increase their support and supervision efforts to more effectively correct deviations and promote the healthy development of tourism.
Lawyer's statement
Ferry buses have no legal loopholes but are full of tricks, which is not conducive to long-term development
Regarding the dissatisfaction caused by the setting of shuttle buses in scenic areas, Shao Lei, Senior Partner of Beijing Kangda Law Firm, said that the bundled sale of online tickets and train tickets does not respect the tourists' right to choose independently, and infringes on the legitimate rights and interests of consumers. Consumers can protect their rights in accordance with the law. In addition, there are segmented fees for shuttle buses, "throwing off passengers", and the need to take shuttle buses when the scenic area is too far away. The scenic area has clear pricing and price announcements. Strictly speaking, there is no legal loophole, but it can be seen that the scenic area is full of routines. For tourists, the tourism experience is definitely very poor. From a commercial logic perspective, a "one shot deal" in scenic areas is not conducive to their long-term healthy development.
Lawyer Pan Xingwang, partner of Chongqing Kunyuan Hengtai Law Firm, stated that the Consumer Rights Protection Law stipulates that consumers have the right to independently choose goods or services. According to the Anti Unfair Competition Law of the People's Republic of China, when selling goods, operators shall not tie up goods against the wishes of buyers or attach other unreasonable conditions. Bundling tickets and train tickets for sale goes against the wishes and freedom of choice of consumers. In this regard, consumers can coordinate with the scenic area and file complaints with relevant departments. As for the segmented ticket sales or "passenger dumping" of sightseeing buses, although it is unreasonable, there are no obvious legal loopholes.
