Tourist areas in China are restricting daily entry during the weeklong National Day holidays to protect the sites.

Jiuzhaigou Valley, one of the most popular scenic spots in southwest China's Sichuan Province, is limiting admission to 28,000 people a day.

Scenic areas in east China's Zhejiang Province such as the West Lake have been restricting numbers in September as well.

The Potala Palace, the most famous landmark in southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, is restricting daily admissions to 2,300.

Tourism officials have been putting protection first in developing tourist areas, said Shao Qiwei, director of the China National Tourism Administration (CNTA).

"A daily admission limit may disappoint some who have traveled a long way to spots like the Potala Palace in Tibet, but better information services and booking systems will gradually solve the problem," said Liu Xiaowei, a tourism management expert.

During the holidays, Jiuzhaigou Valley's administration controls admission through on-line ticket selling, which will stop if the number of visitors exceeds the limit.

Tourism peaks on China's National Day holidays, with tourists for the 2005 holiday week rising 10.5 percent year on year to 111 million, according to statistics from the CNTA.

"Preferential policies in off-peak seasons will make the distribution of tourists more reasonable," said Liu.

From this November to March, Jiuzhaigou Valley will sell tickets at half the price of peak seasons in a bid to draw more visitors in winter.

(Xinhua News Agency October 1, 2006)