Editorials

Op-Ed Contributors

Chinese Press

Columnists

LETTERS

Flogging domestic tourism

By Alexis Hooi (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-05-18 07:43

It was a happy hunting ground for emperors of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), more than 20 sq km of rolling meadows on the outskirts of Beijing, with the highlands of Haituo Peak stretching across the horizon.

So the offer from friends to take in the bracing spring air over the Kangxi Grassland and be part of history on horseback was too good to refuse.

Never mind warnings about the tourist trap sounded before my weekend trip. After all, I had been in China long enough and always avoided being fleeced like a wide-eyed foreigner fresh off the plane.

I spoke - and looked - Chinese, at least sufficiently so to sniff out the same prices as what locals enjoyed for goods and services. I took note of entries on Chinese blogs spelling out reasonable hiring rates of horses at the site.

I even put on my weatherworn riding boots, to act the part of a hardened herder picking out a worthy steed that could break into a gallop at the crack of a whip.

But alas, I could not disguise the fact that I was just one of the capital's hundreds of city slickers to the area and familiar game for unbridled local businesses out to scam a quick yuan from visitors.

The Kangxi Grassland presents much that can go wrong with a local tourist spot.

Unless you drive, the only way to get to the site is by bargaining down pricey quotes from private or "black-car" drivers and hope you actually get to your destination without any unexpected detours.

Local touts accost you on arrival at the few shacks stocked with horses that dot the dusty plains. Again, you negotiate ridiculous rates that do not have receipts from unlicensed operators who ignore you as much as they can once you have forked out your cash.

Hiring times for the mounts are conveniently shortened by the horse rental operators and complaints over the service - shared by many other angry groups of visitors around - result in demands for more money instead.

The sole semblance of management at the site is the realization that all the operators of the various kiosks are actually members of the same gang that some say are driven to such hit-and-run business tactics to make a living.

Even the horses there seemed onto the racket - I have ridden on horseback in places from California to Mongolia, but only the beasts in Kangxi appeared specifically trained to canter back to their masters' shacks every time they ventured out slightly, even though I whipped mine till my arm went sore.

Similarly, brief sandstorms marring the unsatisfying experience suggested the site's mismanagement had extended to the negligence of its environmental assets.

From bad business ethics to poor service and lack of organization, all these stain the rich resources that nature and history have bestowed on tourist sites like the grassland and drag down the good experiences that other well-run attractions in the country give to domestic and foreign travelers alike.

The authorities need to invest adequately and appropriately in infrastructure and services, coupled with effective channels for feedback from the public, if they want to generate tourism revenue that improves the lot of the local population.

Only then will those in the tourist business realize the benefits of treating visitors like royalty, not prey.

E-mail: alexishooi@chinadaily.com.cn