A South China theme park operator is facing a civil lawsuit over its ticket pricing practices for children.
Watchdog group the Guangdong Consumer Council sued Chimelong Group on February 18, which it says unfairly imposes height requirements for children’s tickets.
Guangzhou Intermediate People’s Court has accepted the case and will hold a public hearing.
This case marks the first public interest lawsuit in China for protecting the consumer rights of minors, The
Beijing News reported.
Height-based children’s tickets to tourist attractions have long been standard practice in China because minors under 18 were not issued national identification cards in the past, read an editorial in the
Legal Daily. The requirement ranges from 1.2 to 1.4 meters.
However, not only have ID laws since changed, but average heights among children are increasing, the paper said. Data from the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention showed that in 2012, the average height of six-year-old boys in China reached 1.2 meters, while that for 12-year-old boys and girls was over 1.5 meters.
According to numerous laws in China, minors have the right to half-price tickets to parks, zoos and other attractions, for which height should not be the determining factor.
If children reaching the standard of either age or height are allowed access to attractions, it will not only give more children the chance of enjoying the attractions, but also reducing conflicts between parents and park staff over ticket prices, the editorial read.
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