File photo of Pingyao ancient city. [Xinhua]

The ancient city of Pingyao in north China's Shanxi province received 12,600 visitors during the three-day Dragon Boat Festival, newssc.net reported Wednesday.

However, behind the blossoming travel scene, the Pingyao tourist industry faces severe financial difficulty due to frequent complimentary official business tours.

A source within the ancient city's administration committee disclosed that ever since the city was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, it has continuously received officials from all levels in China.

There were nears 100,000 people who needn't to pay anything for the tour in a year, which means Pingyao lost at least 12 million yuan purely on entrance fees.

Measures like funds approval control on hospitality and restrictions on the admittance of officials have failed to improve the situation.

There is at least a two-billion-yuan financial gap on the further development and restoration at Pingyao tourist site, the official added.