Beijing has enough hotel rooms for Olympics

Source: Xinhuanet | 02-20-2007 18:52

In order to guarantee that Beijing will have enough hotel rooms provided for all people attending the Olympic Games, the Beijing Olympic Organizing Committee has signed contracts with 122 hotels in the city. Some people worry whether Beijing will have enough rooms for overseas spectators to the Olympic Games and tourists who come to Beijing for sightseeing. A person in charge at the Beijing Olympic Organizing Committee recently said that such worries were unnecessary.

Xiang Ping, deputy director of the Service Department at the Beijing Olympic Organizing Committee, recently said that Beijing will have ample rooms for ordinary tourists in 2008.

She said that by the end of last year, Beijing already had built altogether 700 star-graded hotels. The 122 hotels with which the Beijing Olympic Organizing Committee has signed contracts account for only one-sixth of the total number of hotels in Beijing.

"Therefore we have used only a small portion of the hotel resources in Beijing," said Xiang.

Authorities predict that by 2008, Beijing will have altogether more than 800 star-graded hotels, which can provide 130,000 guest rooms.

Apart from all these star-graded hotels, Beijing has over 4,000 hotels, guest houses, and hostles that are not graded. These venues can provide altogether 290,000 guest rooms, which, Xiang said, is another reason for her to say that there is no need for tourists to worry about accommodations.

The Beijing Municipal Tourism Adi ministration Bureau predicts that in 2008 when the Olympic Games is held, some 500,000-550,000 foreigners will visit Beijing.

Editor:Du Xiaodan