China's Peking University has banned tourists after complaints from students and teachers about the disruption to academic life from masses of tour groups, state press reported Tuesday.
Peking University is China's oldest and most prestigious education institution, and many travel agencies around the country have been organizing tours of the campus, the China Daily reported.
The tourists have led to unseemly crowds at the entrance to the university, while vendors hoping to cash in on the extra people have taken to roaming the campus selling t-shirts and other souvenirs, according to the paper.
"The university has had enough of being a tourist attraction. It has banned all tour groups from the campus," the China Daily said.
Only individual visitors and groups of high school students who receive permission from the university three days in advance will be allowed on to the campus, the paper said, citing a notice from the institution.
The new order has predictably been greeted with dismay from tourists.
"How could Peking University do this? Isn't the university built by the country and with taxpayers money?" the paper cited a man surnamed Chen, who had traveled from southwest China's Sichuan province to visit the campus, saying.
