Govt must meet tourists' needs

Chaos ruled the Jiuzhaigou Valley nature reserve in Sichuan province during the National Day "Golden Week" holiday as thousands of tourists demanded refund for their tickets. Although regulations and measures have been in place for years to regulate people's behavior and safeguard tourists' rights, chaos and overcrowding seem to have become the order of the day at tourist sites, especially during national holidays, making visits to scenic and historical places more of a test of patience for tourists, says an article on xinhuanet.com. Excerpts:

Public holidays should be a time for leisure, a time when people spend money to enjoy a break from their humdrum life and, in the process, boost the economy. But the government's holiday arrangements seem to reverse the order by overtly emphasizing public consumption while neglecting the arrangements needed to ensure that people enjoy their holidays.