Tourist sites critiqued for 'intelligent' services
Local tourist attractions and museums such as the landmark Oriental Pearl TV Tower, Shanghai Railway Museum and Dongping National Forest Park were found to have poor "intelligent" services for tourists, the Shanghai Consumer Council said on Tuesday.
The council conducted an undercover investigation at 45 museums and scenic spots across the city regarding their Internet- and mobile-based services, and the average score was 80.81 points, the council said.
Services at Oriental Pearl TV Tower scored 64, much lower than the city average, the council said.
Its WeChat account does not provide ticketing services or real-time updates on the number of tourists and queuing time, the council said.
The Shanghai Railway Museum does not have a website, an app or a WeChat account; and the Dongping National Forest Park lacks a website and WeChat account.
The app of China Maritime Museum was last updated three years ago, and the Apple version could not be downloaded, said the council.
In addition, the WeChat account of Oriental Green Land was misleading, according to the council.
"The overall situation is good, but some problems were still detected," said Tao Ailian, secretary-general of the council.
"Museums and tourist attractions should improve their information technologies, and provide more refined and accurate services," she said. "These can include real-time visitor counts and forecasts of queuing time to provide references for tourists to arrange their schedules."
Among 16 museums covered by the investigation, the Shanghai Museum, Guangfulin Relics and Shanghai Natural History Museum had the highest scores; while the Shanghai Disney Resort, Playa Maya Water Park and Shanghai Wild Animal Park scored the highest among tourist attractions, the council said.
An online survey by the council found that 33 percent of consumers used the websites of scenic spots to obtain information, and 34 percent look to WeChat accounts.
About 46 percent of consumers said online ticketing at tourist attractions should be improved, and 34 percent called for improvements to online reservations, according to the council.