The Chinese government has staged a national overhaul to axe overcharging in the admission tickets for tourist sites, banning further price rises in the coming 12 months and vowing to open most public museums, memorials and patriotic educational sites for free in two years.

The campaign began on April 9 and was made public Tuesday by the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), the top economic planner in charge of pricing, ahead of the international Labor Day holiday on May 1.

It will last through a summer tourism boom which industry analysts foresaw from an influx of tourists around the August Beijing Olympics and the growing habits of having annual vacations on home turf.

During the year-long overhaul, tourist sites are prohibited from charging more for either entrance or for transport such as cable cars, sight-seeing vehicles or yachts, said a NDRC statement with endorsement from seven other ministerial departments.