The saved ticket money was all used to buy cultural and creative souvenirs

No need to buy tickets, I stayed longer and played many projects

I have to come again next vacation

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During the May Day holiday, many scenic spots launched free admission promotions, turning more traffic into "retention".

Not only during the May Day holiday, in fact, free admission has become a common practice in more and more scenic spots in recent years. Xixialing Scenic Spot in Ningxia is free of the first ticket, Emei Mountain in Sichuan cancels the temple fragrant flower coupon, and Gubei Water Town in Beijing, Mount Wuyi in Fujian and other places have launched various preferential packages. Many scenic spots have also displayed creative "free tickets": reciting poetry is free of charge, wearing ancient costumes is free of charge, those born in the year of the horse are free of charge, those with names containing the word "horse" are free of charge, and even those who can recite poetry with the word "horse" are free of charge

The exploration of exchanging "benefits" for "popularity" and using "ticket subtraction" to leverage "consumption addition" will be carried out in more places.

Slow down the footsteps of more tourists

After the cancellation of tickets, there has been a significant increase in local and surrounding tourists, and their stay time has noticeably increased, "said the person in charge of Ningxia Xixialing Scenic Area

After staying for a long time, the willingness to consume becomes stronger. In the past, most tourists spent money on buying a bottle of water and having a simple meal in the scenic area. Nowadays, many people are willing to carefully select souvenirs in cultural and creative stores, or let their children try Xixia Wenmu movable type printing. Young people are also eager to experience VR and XR projects in the scenic area.

In order to embrace these changes, the scenic area has made a lot of preparations: more than 940 new cultural and creative products have been launched, parking lots have been expanded, charging stations have been added, and the smart navigation system is constantly being upgraded. The customer flow has increased, and the service must keep up.

According to data, the Xixia Mausoleum Scenic Area has implemented a free admission policy since December 1, 2025, and has attracted 182000 visitors within a month, which is 65% more than the same period last year. The proportion of secondary consumption in the scenic area has significantly increased, and the sales of cultural and creative stores have increased by 50% month on month.

Ms. Fu, a tourist from Chongqing who returned from her trip to Mount Emei in Sichuan, sighed and said, "In the past, when I went to Mount Emei, I had to buy a separate voucher for fragrant flowers. Now I don't need it anymore, my heart is calmer, and I'm more willing to sit for a while longer

When we arrived at Lingyin Feilai Peak in Hangzhou, Zhejiang, this calmness became a richer experience. During the May Day holiday, Ms. Wu, a tourist from Beijing, had a packed schedule: "Let's schedule a class, have a vegetarian meal, and visit a cultural and creative shop. The total cost may be much higher than just buying tickets, but I feel it's very fulfilling. I've really come to experience it

A series of new ideas such as vegetarian food tasting, tea ceremony learning, specialty homestays, and handmade experiences have gradually turned the scenic area into an immersive cultural life circle.

The articles made by various regions on ticket prices reflect a trend: ticket discounts have shifted from temporary measures to long-term strategies, expanding from peripheral projects to core scenic spots, and spreading from one point to a region. "Deng Huihui, a researcher at the National Institute of Opening up at the University of International Business and Economics, analyzed that" reducing ticket prices or even offering them for free is not an endpoint, but more like a starting point, forcing scenic spot managers to change their thinking - they cannot just rely on 'selling scenery', they need to think about how to 'sell experience', 'sell services', and even' sell a way of life '

Strive to break free from the path dependence of "ticket economy"

Previously, more than 80% of our income was directed towards projects such as tickets, cable cars, and sightseeing buses, "the person in charge of a mountain scenic spot in the southwest region told reporters." The old path of relying on ticket economy in scenic spots has become increasingly difficult. Local families who want to come and play on weekends can spend nearly 400 yuan on tickets alone for a family of three, plus transportation and meals, which cost over a thousand yuan. Many people just take a photo at the entrance as if they have been here

The ticket prices have also kept many students and local regulars out. This not only hinders the growth of tourist numbers, but also causes the scenic area to lose repeat customers.

Tourists come and go in a hurry, making it difficult to truly drive local industries such as accommodation, catering, and shopping, "Deng Huihui pointed out." Once this single income structure encounters market changes, natural disasters, or emergencies, it becomes very passive

Associate Professor Tian Hui from the School of Cultural Industry Management at Communication University of China believes that high ticket prices not only create a physical circle, but also set up psychological and economic barriers. "It can easily turn scenic spots into 'islands' that are disconnected from the surrounding communities and urban development. Nowadays, tourism is no longer the era of' seeing something fresh ', what people want is deep experience and leisure relaxation.

According to statistics, after West Lake became free of charge, the total tourism revenue in Hangzhou increased from 29.4 billion yuan in 2002 to 345.03 billion yuan in 2024. Tian Hui believes that after years of rapid development, China's tourism industry is at a turning point, shifting from pursuing the scale of "how many people have come" to pursuing the quality of "whether the experience is good" and "whether the industry drive is strong".

How to play the "free card" for scenic spot tickets

The reporter found through the practice of various scenic spots that although the direction of "free admission" is consistent, different scenic spots have given different answers.

Gubei Water Town is following the path of "offering benefits to scenic spots and driving development". It takes about two hours by car from downtown Beijing to Gubeishui Town in Miyun District, and many tourists choose to stay overnight. When scenic spots lower the entry threshold through discounted packages, accommodation vouchers, and other means, tourists often save money on tickets and spend it on better accommodation, more leisurely dining, and specialty purchases.

The consensus among many scenic spots is to practice internal skills and gain deep experiences. For us, free admission is not simply a matter of 'giving up profits', but more like an active' breakthrough ', "explained the person in charge of Xixialing Scenic Area." It breaks the barrier of' value 'in the hearts of tourists, and their consumption choices in turn force us to constantly innovate products and improve services

Tian Hui found that scenic spots that have successfully transformed share a common feature: creating an open and shared value ecosystem around their core cultural or natural resources. For example, cultural heritage scenic spots can fulfill their public functions of cultural education with free or low-priced basic tickets, and then generate income through high-quality special exhibitions, in-depth explanations, exclusive cultural and creative activities, themed catering and other follow-up services. Natural ecological scenic spots can be supported by public finance for their basic protection and maintenance, and then balance expenses through sightseeing buses, characteristic hotels, natural study courses and other projects

The most crucial thing is to find the most suitable path for oneself, "Deng Huihui reminded

The transformation of scenic spots is not a one-time success

It's not that easy to go from relying on tickets to relying on comprehensive experience.

Deng Huihui believes that the first hurdle is the real economic account. For scenic spots with large initial investment, heavy debt, or high daily maintenance (especially ecological protection) costs, ticket revenue is an important cash flow to maintain normal operation. Once this income is lost, it may cause a shortage of operating funds and even affect cultural relic protection or ecological security. Therefore, finding stable alternative sources of income is crucial.

The second level is the sudden increase in management pressure. Free admission may lead to a short-term surge in tourists. If it exceeds the carrying capacity of the scenic area's ecology and facilities, problems such as congestion and facility damage will become prominent, ultimately affecting the tourist experience and even causing safety hazards.

The most crucial aspect is still the innovation ability of content and format. If there is severe homogenization of goods and lack of novelty in the experience projects within the scenic area, free admission may become a "loss making and shouting" strategy, where tourists come in and take a stroll before leaving. How to enhance the ability of business planning, cultural product development, and high-quality services determines whether "subtraction" can become "addition".

Deng Huihui suggested promoting the establishment of a more scientific evaluation and guidance system at the industry level. "The government or industry associations can take the lead in classifying and dynamically evaluating scenic spots, including resource value, operating costs, surrounding industrial supporting facilities, passenger flow carrying capacity, ecological bottom line, etc. For scenic spots that do not currently meet the conditions, guide them to gradually reduce prices, offer free time sharing, expand the free population, and other methods.

We also need to establish a regional collaborative mechanism for sharing benefits and risks. For core scenic spots that face significant short-term pressure due to free admission, appropriate support can be provided through financial subsidies, tax incentives, and expanding reasonable commercial operation rights, "Deng Huihui added." Local governments should act as the "leader" and explore models such as "universal use of tourism consumption points throughout the region" and "reasonable sharing of joint ticket income" to drive overall consumption growth and support the long-term maintenance and improvement of scenic spots

Tian Hui specifically reminds us to pay attention to possible "side effects": "The original intention of free admission is to benefit the people and attract tourists, but we need to prevent the phenomenon of" one side exempts and the other side supplements "in the absence of regulations, such as bundling low-quality projects for sale or artificially high catering prices in scenic spots

In the face of these challenges, the person in charge of Xixia Mausoleum Scenic Area revealed that they plan to continue enriching their products and create immersive performances based on the history of Xixia. "We also hope to broaden our horizons and strengthen cooperation with international cultural and tourism institutions.

Free admission itself is not an end in itself, it is just the beginning, "Deng Huihui said." Scenic spots should not choose between "charging" and "free". What is deeper is the exploration of cultural connotations and innovative experiences. A vibrant and moving cultural IP, through multi-level and modern operations, can create value and influence far beyond a single ticket

Source: Guangming Daily