Forbidden City to Control Number of Visitors

2002/01/01

In the cause of giving further protection to its wealth of relics, the Forbidden City will from next year apply stronger control on its number of visitors.

The city usually hosts an average 60,000 visitors each day, though the official capacity is 80,000- "just a meaningless number"- to some officials because the figure can fluctuate considerably. During the recent seven-day National Day holiday, attendance reached a record 120,000.

Meanwhile, it has been decided that the admission price during the tourism season will be increased, then lowered during the months when tourists are few. The city is also to make a large investment in a series of maintenance and reconstruction projects, thus opening more sites and thereby helping to alleviate visitors� pressure on the facilities.



	Article featured in Beijing This Month, January 2002 Publication sponsored by Information Office of the Beijing Municipal Government, Beijing Municipal Bureau of Tourism