It is estimated that at least 1.5 million visitors will descend upon the capital for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.

 

 

That should bring about commercial success for the city's hospitality business and a big challenge for its reception capacity.

 

 

Despite the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad (BOCOG) being fully confident of taking in such huge number of incomers on record, the president of the World Tourism and Travel Council criticized China's service sector, saying it is less mature than expected, with new and under-trained staff working in domestic hotels.

 

The research cited in the latest issue of China Journalism Weekly highlights 112 hotels that have official dealings with the BOCOG and have been appointed to take care of officials, referees, and organizations sponsoring the Olympics during the Olympic Games, offering 70% of their guest rooms for the expected 50,000 guests.

 

Athletes and journalists will stay in the Olympic Village which is to be completed later this year.

 

Other visitors that do not fall into these two categories will stay in less luxurious hotels. The current capacity of Beijing's star-rated hotels can only hold visitors from abroad for the Games. Statistics from the Beijing Tourism Bureau confirm this. According to the statistics 20% of Olympic tickets sold abroad may result in 600, 000 overseas visitors, which would require an approximate capacity of 900,000 to 1,000,000 rooms, in addition to the expected domestic demand for approximately 22.5 million to 22.8 million beds during the peak period.

 

BOCOG service department officer Xiang says the statistics are conservative. The amount of current 658 star-rated hotels offering109,000 rooms is too far below the Olympic anticipation of 800, with including 37 five star and 83 fourth star hotels offering a total of 130,000 guest rooms.

 

The tourism bureau is not worried about the dilemma. President Du Jiang promised to add at least 110 eligible hotels either rebuilt or redecorated to its current 658 star-rated and 168 special hotels to bring the number of hotels up to par with what is necessary.

 

Not everyone coming to see the Games is a millionaire. Common people comprise the main body of the Olympic audience, and they simply require a clean and sanitary place to stay. Because of this there is a potential market for budget hotels. "I believe (budget hotels) are a significant business", Xiang said, "but the unsatisfactory service quality, lower-end management and unsanitary conditions of the budget hotels in Beijing might make them less capable of accommodating foreigners."

 

"The most urgent thing right now is to improve service quality in all hotels. That is what we are actively and carefully working on," Xiang said. .

 

It is also planning to enhance service by upgrading hardware, improving facilities and training fast-track employees, she added.

 

(China Daily February 28, 2007)