As the Spring Festival approaches, tourism in Shantou continues to heat up, with many netizens reporting a sharp surge in hotel prices in the city. According to media reports, some hotels in Shantou are now priced higher than those along Shanghai's Bund. For example, one room type at Atour Hotel was quoted at 4,221 yuan per night during the holiday period, nearly five times the usual rate. Hotels like Home Inn have generally raised prices to over 1,000 yuan, with some near scenic spots even exceeding 6,000 yuan per night.

Discussions about the price increases have divided netizens into two camps. One group finds it unacceptable, calling it "price gouging" and "exploiting customers." They question how a mid-range chain like Atour can justify charging 4,200 yuan per night, arguing that its facilities and services do not match the price. The other group expresses understanding, stating that hotel price hikes during the Spring Festival are normal. They point out that with a large influx of tourists and limited room availability, price increases are inevitable and reflect market dynamics.

During the holiday period, hotels face rising costs, including triple wages for employees, higher laundry expenses, increased procurement costs for supplies, and the need for additional staff in some cases. These factors inevitably drive up room rates, which is reasonable from a business perspective. Many consumers who struggle to accept the hikes hold a common economic misconception: equating price with quality. They argue that as a mid-range brand, Atour has no right to charge luxury prices. For a long time, luxury and high-end brands have conditioned people to believe that high prices equate to high quality and greater reliability, encouraging them to pay a premium.

In reality, the most critical factor determining prices in a market economy is not quality but supply and demand. Shantou has approximately 25,000 hotel rooms, yet daily tourist numbers during the Spring Festival can exceed 100,000, creating a significant supply-demand gap. High-quality hotels in core business districts and near tourist attractions are particularly scarce, leading to fully booked rooms despite steep prices—a clear demonstration of the market principle that "scarcity creates value."

Adam Smith noted in *The Wealth of Nations* that the market is an "invisible hand" guiding resource allocation through prices. According to economic principles, the high premiums currently seen at hotels like Atour may incentivize more enterprises to invest in Shantou's hospitality industry. Over time, this could lead to greater options and lower prices for consumers. As long as hotels clearly display prices and do not engage in illegal practices such as fabricated or collusive price hikes, their freedom to set prices should be respected.

That said, market freedom does not mean an absence of boundaries. Laws should strictly prohibit practices like price gouging and fraud. However, determining illegality must be based on facts and evidence, not merely on the magnitude of price increases. A healthy market economy requires both preventing market failures and avoiding emotional interventions that distort price signals.

The debate among netizens reflects a society with growing material abundance but still-developing economic literacy. As emphasized earlier, price is not solely an indicator of quality but a dynamic measure of scarcity. Understanding this can help people approach market fluctuations with a calmer mindset and avoid the habit of criticizing every price increase.

The appeal of a market economy lies in contractual freedom, where prices are formed through free competition, optimizing resource allocation. Respecting market mechanisms and protecting lawful pricing freedoms will ultimately foster a vibrant, fair, and efficient economic environment. While this may seem to protect businesses, the real beneficiaries are every member of society.