ID :
11639
Sun, 07/06/2008 - 09:53
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Shortlink :
http://m.oananews.org//node/11639
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Beijing allots low-cost Olympic Family Hotels for Asian guests
Beijing, July 5 (PTI) Beijing, which will host Olympic Games next month, has allotted around 600 homes to accomodate visitors from Asia and would charge only a seventh of what it would cost in a star-rated hotel.
Authorities have selected 571 families and hope to have around 600 households officially designated as "Olympic Family Hotels" for the guests.
Visitors from Japan, South Korea, Singapore and Malaysia, among others, would be introduced by travel agencies to the families living near major stadiums, trunk roads, cultural sites and hutongs or alleyways.
Beijing Tourism Bureau Vice-Director Xiong Yumei gave no
specific reason for chosing Asian visitors but travel agencies said short marketing time and available transportation made it easier to organise Asian tourist groups than Westerners.
The Olympic Family Hotels would charge USD 50 TO 80 per night, a seventh of what it would cost in a three or four-star hotel during the Games.
One of the conditions stipulated for selection of home-stay families is that each family should have at least one person who could speak English, Xiong said.
Beijing expects about 5,00,000 foreigners during the Games and is gearing up to accommodate at least 3,30,000 visitors every day.
A tourism bureau report last month said Beijing hotels still had a high vacancy rate for the August 8-24 Games, with only 77 percent of five-star hotels booked for the period. About 45.5 percent of four-star hotel rooms were reserved while three-star hotel had a mere 20 percent reservation.
Hotels in Beijing can accommodate 66,000 beds, more than the 43,000 needed every day during the Games, Xinhua news agency quoted tourism officials as saying.
Authorities have selected 571 families and hope to have around 600 households officially designated as "Olympic Family Hotels" for the guests.
Visitors from Japan, South Korea, Singapore and Malaysia, among others, would be introduced by travel agencies to the families living near major stadiums, trunk roads, cultural sites and hutongs or alleyways.
Beijing Tourism Bureau Vice-Director Xiong Yumei gave no
specific reason for chosing Asian visitors but travel agencies said short marketing time and available transportation made it easier to organise Asian tourist groups than Westerners.
The Olympic Family Hotels would charge USD 50 TO 80 per night, a seventh of what it would cost in a three or four-star hotel during the Games.
One of the conditions stipulated for selection of home-stay families is that each family should have at least one person who could speak English, Xiong said.
Beijing expects about 5,00,000 foreigners during the Games and is gearing up to accommodate at least 3,30,000 visitors every day.
A tourism bureau report last month said Beijing hotels still had a high vacancy rate for the August 8-24 Games, with only 77 percent of five-star hotels booked for the period. About 45.5 percent of four-star hotel rooms were reserved while three-star hotel had a mere 20 percent reservation.
Hotels in Beijing can accommodate 66,000 beds, more than the 43,000 needed every day during the Games, Xinhua news agency quoted tourism officials as saying.
