Beijing ‘recruiting households’ for Olympics
The city of Beijing is ‘recruiting’ households to provide rooms for visitors for the 2008 Olympic Games in China, reports claim.
Local tourism authorities are looking for about 1,000 welcoming homes that can boost the level of accommodation available for the event, which is expected to bring a massive influx of visitors into the Asian country.
More than 500,000 overseas visitors are expected during the Games, with the largest daily inflow expected to be around the 300,000 mark, the Xinhua news agency reports.
Beijing currently has just over 800 star-ranked hotels offering 220,000 beds, while other accommodation providers have some 640,000 beds, but Xiong Yumei of the Beijing Tourist Bureau said that this may not be enough.
‘The guest room supply may still fall short of demand, especially for hotels close to the sports venues,’ she said.
The homestay concept, which is popular in many western countries, is relatively new to China and its use indicates the anticipated level of interest in this year’s Olympic Games.