Expo visitor numbers dip as ticket prices rise

0 CommentsPrint E-mail Global Times, October 27, 2010
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As the visitor count at the World Expo 2010 in Shanghai hit a 19-day low Tuesday at a little over 300,000 people, China Pavilion organizers said that those unable to make it to the structure before the event ends will have other chances to see it for a "reasonable" price.

Passes to the China Pavilion - limited to 50,000 per day - went quickly Tuesday, despite Expo Park visitor numbers hitting a low not seen since October 7.

But organizers said that those who can not make it to the China Pavilion before the Expo ends will be able to visit it for less than 80 yuan ($12) when it reopens.

"It will be a price acceptable for most people," Qian Zhiguang, deputy director of the China Pavilion, told reporters Tuesday.

He added that further discounts would be made available to seniors and students.

The China Pavilion will take a month off after the show to ensure that everything inside is in good working order before opening the structure back up to the public again, said Qian.

Key attractions at the pavilion, including a bronze chariot and horse unearthed from the tomb of China's first emperor, Qin Shi Huang (259-210 BC), will remain on display when the pavilion re-opens its doors to visitors on December 1.

The 128-meter-long animated version of famous painting Riverside Scene at Qingming Festival will be transported to the AsiaWorld-Expo in Hong Kong, where it will be on display from November 9 to 29, before it returns to the China Pavilion.

The chilly weather Tuesday did not dampen the mood of visitors at the park, the majority of who were glad to see smaller crowds and shorter waiting times outside popular pavilions. One of the hottest attractions at the park, the Saudi Arabia Pavilion, only required a wait of around two hours Tuesday, down substantially from the 10 hours visitors could expect a week earlier.

"Paying more for a designated day ticket has been so worthwhile," a visitor from Nanjing surnamed Xu told the Global Times Tuesday. "I've already managed to visit five pavilions today, including popular ones like the Japan Pavilion, and I've not had to wait longer than an hour for any of them."

Visitors heading to the park in the coming final days of the event will need to shell out 200 yuan ($30) for a designated ticket, up 40 yuan ($6) from the previous standard day tickets. Those interested in going at night can trade one standard day ticket in for two nighttime passes, which allow visitors in after 5 pm.

All ticket sales at Expo gates will be halted on Saturday, the day before the event ends.

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