Local authorities dismissed rumors on Tuesday that students in the city are required to visit the Expo twice at their own expense during the six-month event in order to meet estimates of 70 million visitors.

The number of visitors to Expo 2010 Shanghai has so far fallen short of expectations, but authorities have not made it mandatory for schools to organize student trips to the Expo to make up for the shortfall, said Wang Xin, press officer with the municipal education commission.

The schools will decide whether, when and how to organize such trips, she said. However, the commission issued a notice in January encouraging schools to take the initiative so as to let the students "experience the charms of the Expo".

The school trips would be free, she added.

A lower-than-expected visitor count at the Expo has been stoking concern that authorities might mobilize the public and plan "organized trips" to make up for the shortfall.

Millions of visitors were organized to visit the Expo during the six-day soft opening in late April. The district government of Changning, for instance, also paid for more than 60,000 residents' trips to the Expo.

Having spent billions of yuan on Expo-related construction and improvements, organizers want the fair to get on to the top list of World Expos, with the number of visitors counted as one of the key measures.

Early estimates put the number of visitors over the 184-day period of the Shanghai event at 70 million, the vast majority of whom are expected to hail from China. To reach that target, the fair needs to attract 380,000 visitors a day.

But average daily visits so far has been hovering around 200,000, with the highest daily attendance reaching 330,000 last Saturday.

Zhang Huiming, a teacher from Shanghai-based Jinmeng Middle School, confirmed that schools are not under any pressure to organize student trips, but added that both the teachers and students like the idea because it would be an enriching experience.

"It is a rare opportunity for students to learn about technologies and cultures around the world. From what the students say, they are eager to travel there as a group, which would enable them to share their experiences with their teachers and classmates," Zhang said, adding that his school is planning for a 1,000-member group visit in September.

Students are expected to make up the bulk of the Expo visitors during summer vacation. Organizers previously warned that the Expo Garden during the summer season would be very crowded with a projected increase in student numbers.

Recent media reports also said tourist agencies had already received a large number of orders for student trips to the Expo.

According to a recent survey launched by the education commission, more than 90 percent of the students from primary and secondary schools in the city showed great interest in visiting the Expo, and more than 50 percent of them wanted to visit the site three to five times.

Jiang Yufei, an 18-year-old student at Xiangming Middle School who will sit for his college entrance exam next month, said he is looking forward to his school's planned trip to the Expo over the summer vacation.

"I like to be with my classmates, which is different from when I'm with my parents. It's much easier for us to exchange opinions," he said.

(China Daily May 19, 2010)