There are those who thought that Expo 2010 would be a very quiet, subdued affair despite the evidence that no Expo since the late 1960s has been anything but a roaring success.
Indicating what is to come is the news that room reservations have soared 3.5 times since this January: yet the hotel room rates have risen only 20%.
2010 Shanghai World Expo will take place from May 1 to October 31 and is expected to welcome 70 million tourists from home and abroad.
Shi Yuzhuan, the marking manager of Ctrip.com International, a leading consolidator of hotel accommodations in China, told Shanghai Business Daily, "The bookings in January are four times as much as the number last December."
Shi said since the World Expo has lasted several months, the industry has rational market expectations and the pricing is reasonable.
China Daily reported that more than 30,000 guest rooms of Jinjiang Inn, a major economy hotel chain in China, have been booked so far, eight times as much as number in the same period of 2009.