China mulls law to check tourism price hikes

Beijing, April 23 (IANS) Chinese lawmakers mulled a draft tourism law Tuesday that outlines measures to curb rocketing ticket prices amid the country's tourism boom.

The draft law on tourism was tabled for its third reading Tuesday at the bimonthly session of the standing committee of the National People's Congress (NPC), the country's top legislature.

After previous readings in August and December, the current version of the draft also includes procedures and rules to curb price hikes on tickets for scenic spots, reported Xinhua.

Some lawmakers said that wanton price increases in some scenic sites are becoming "a prominent problem" and called for measures to restrain such practices, the report from the NPC's Law Committee said.

According to the draft, tourism sites developed using public resources should strictly control rises in entrance fees or other additional charges. They will also have to hold public hearings if they plan to raise prices.