[photopress:hotels_Marriott_2_1_2.jpg,full,alignright]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.
Anthony Ha, general manager of the newly opened Marriott Courtyard Beijing Northeast (seen in the illustration) said, ‘We are not full at the moment, and we have rooms to fill. There’s not much time left, and we have a way to go.’
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.
A report last month from the Beijing Tourism Bureau that showed five-star hotels were 77% booked, and four stars were at 44%.
[photopress:hotels_Marriott.jpg,full,alignleft]The average price of a five-star hotel in Beijing ranged from $560 to $1,150 per nightalthough some rates were reported as high as $2,000 per night during the Olympics. The four-star average was $325.
According to the bureau the number of foreign visitors to Beijing in May dropped by 12.5% from a year ago.
[photopress:hotels_loong_bar_Marrioott_Beijing3.jpg,full,alignright]The shortfall in visitors coincides with new visa regulations that make it tougher for tourists and business executives to enter China.
Si Cunxia, sales manager of Travel China travel agency said, ‘A lot of the hotels overestimated their occupancy rate for July and August.’
Source: Associated Press
You must log in to post a comment.