Zhou Lingqiang, a professor of tourism management at Zhejiang University, said the price increases are a method that authorities use to protect scenic areas.

"The local government probably is trying to protect the scenic area from overcrowding by increasing the price of the entry ticket, which will turn out to be effective as a long-term strategy," said Zhou.

Zhou added that controlling the number of daily visitors to the attractions probably would be a better way to protect those cultural heritages than increasing entry fees would.