Attractions made free for Beijing tourists

Beijing is looking to lure more domestic tourists to the city's top attractions via a massive giveaway of 2 million entry tickets.

The free tickets are valued at 134 million yuan ($20 million) and will be distributed from Tuesday.

Officials hope the initiative will generate 5.85 billion yuan in revenue, Gu Xiaoyuan, deputy head of the Beijing Tourism Administration said yesterday.

Foreign tourists and expats are not included in the plan.

Eighty percent of the 2 million free tickets will be distributed through websites.

"A survey shows 80 percent of Chinese tourists go to the Internet for travel information," explained Gu.

The remaining 20 percent will be distributed through tour agencies and media, she said.

Starting Tuesday, 1 million tickets will be delivered to people outside Beijing. Each ticket allows them to visit two of 10 attractions in Beijing, including the Juyongguan section of the Great Wall and the Summer Palace.

A total of 700,000 tickets will be delivered to Beijing residents from May 8.

Each ticket allows them to visit two of 27 attractions, mostly located in Beijing's suburbs. Another 300,000 tickets for free entry to 10 attractions including museums and theme parks will be given away to youths under 18 across China starting May 18.

All tickets will be printed with the last four figures of the applicant's identification card number in order to prevent scalpers from making money off them, she said.

Visit www.bjta.gov.cn or www.ctrip.com for details.

Questions:

1. Can foreign tourists and expats get free entry tickets?

2. What are two of the attractions visitors can receive free entry into with the tickets?

3. What is being printed on the tickets to prevent scalpers from making money off them?

Answers:

1. No.

2. The Juyongguan section of the Great Wall and the Summer Palace.

3. The last four figures of the applicant's identification card number.