Karola Glacier is located at the junction of Nagarzê County and Gyantse County in the Shannan region of Tibet, about 71 kilometers away from Gyantse County. It is one of the three continental glaciers in Tibet and the source of the eastern Nianchu River, attracting a large number of tourists.

However, on July 30, 2023, netizens released a video on the Personal media platform saying that when tourists stopped to take photos at Karola Glacier Section of the G349 National Highway in Xigaze, Tibet, they were stopped by security guards suspected of being scenic spots.

The contents of the Videotelephony are as follows:

Suspected security guard: I need to buy a ticket here

Tourist: Would it be good to be over there? Even standing on the national highway to see the scenery is not good, right

Suspected security guard: Ah yes, do you use your phone to take photos when looking at the scenery like this?

Tourist: Ah, you can't take photos with your phone

Suspected security guard: The scenery is just for viewing, so I need to buy a ticket

Tourist: You mean you can't even watch without buying a ticket, right

Suspected security guard: The scenic area is for viewing

Tourist: Can't you take photos or can't you watch

Suspected security guard: both

Tourist: Neither of them can be, right

Once the video was released, it received the attention of a large number of netizens, who jokingly referred to the Karola Glacier Scenic Area in the county as "a place where you need to pay for standing on a national highway to see the scenery".

The People's Government of Gyantse County also attached great importance to this incident, and set up a joint working group led by the County Culture and Tourism Bureau to check and standardize the scenic spot. The next day, the Culture and Tourism Bureau of Gyantse County released the investigation and notification of the incident. The announcement first confirmed the authenticity of the incident and apologized to the tourists for this. The joint working group has dealt seriously with scenic area management enterprises and relevant responsible persons in accordance with the law and regulations, and resolutely banned and comprehensively rectified the above violations.

It's not too late to make up for the lost sheep. The relevant departments have actively made a fair determination of the behavior of the staff in the scenic area, that is, the parking of passing vehicles constitutes "illegal interference". This positive response is also a safeguard of tourists' right to rest. However, the internet has memories, and the public will not dispel their inner grievances about this event just because they should respond positively. On the contrary, this event is more likely to remind people of the previous practice of setting fences along the Hukou Waterfall. This type of event reflects a ticket economy model that urgently needs to be corrected.

Admittedly, the tourism industry is gradually in good shape during the economic recovery period, and charging for the "distant view" of Natural landscape makes people "dare not play" with the related scenic spots. The tourism industry can only develop well on the basis of tourists' happiness and comfort, and it is believed that this incident has also had a certain warning effect on other scenic area service models.

In the The Internet Age, the distance between the world has been shortened. Tourists use appropriate ways to argue for the rights they should enjoy. Is it not a reflection of the increased awareness of the public to protect their rights? In the long run, this can better promote the progress of social civilization.

Source:

Baidu Baike, video screenshots