Beijing Olympic Tourism Windfall not Materializing
The Olympics are looking like a bust for the city's hotels. The 17-day games were supposed to generate a buzz throughout the summer, leading to a tourism windfall with fully booked hotels and free-spending customers.
Instead, Beijing's summer tourism season has been slow, and hotels and travel agencies say many potential visitors are being put off by tightened visa rules and scarce tickets to Olympic events. Others could be reluctant to book trips because China's authoritarian government seems more concerned with keeping out foreigners than welcoming them to the games.
"We are not full at the moment, and we have rooms to fill," said Anthony Ha, general manager of the newly opened Marriott Courtyard Beijing Northeast. "There's not much time left, and we have a way to go."
China has spent a reported $40 billion on new infrastructure and stunning venues, hoping to impress visitors with a modern city when the games begin August 8. But the lack of reservations could shake the city's hotel industry, which has more than doubled its five- and four-star hotels offerings to 160 since Beijing was awarded the Olympics seven years ago.
Ha declined to reveal his hotel's occupancy rate, but he expressed concern over a report last month from the Beijing Tourism Bureau that showed five-star hotels were 77 percent booked, and four stars were at 44 percent. "That's worrisome," Ha said. Hotel operators in Beijing were "hoping to hit 90 percent daily. It's a huge thing."
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