The Daily Times reports there are still plenty of hotel rooms available for the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympic Games. Zhang Huiguang, director of Beijing’s Tourism Bureau said Wednesday the crunch that was predicted doesn’t seem to be happening. About 500,000 foreigners were expected at the Games, but only 77 per cent of capacity at Beijing’s five-star hotels have been booked and the four-star hotel rate is only 44 per cent. She added it’s even lower for three and two-star hotels. Zhang said one reason could be China’s crackdown on visa procedures targeting students and others on short-term stays that might be activists intent on protesting during the Games. Another reason could be the higher prices. She said, “the hotel price is rising, the transportation fee is rising, so many will not choose to come during this period”.
The official website of the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games, Paralympic.beijing 2008.cn, was launched Friday on the 100-day countdown of the start of the event. The site is in English and Chinese and will provide detailed information on the Paralympic sports disciplines. During the Paralympics the website will post up-to-the-minute official news, competition results and medal standings, and Paralympic news, as well as live coverage of important press conferences. There are dedicated pages for venues, spectator services, ticketing and media operations; and visitors to the site will find detailed information on lodging, transportation, shopping and information services. Visitors can also use the e-map to locate competition venues and points of interest, and look up public transit and driving directions. The website also includes information about barrier-free facilities.
China launched its second weather forecasting satellite Tuesday in the hopes of accurately predicting weather for the Games and to provide forecasts for areas under reconstruction after the earthquake. The new-generation satellite includes sensors that can monitor the Earth’s atmosphere and climate, which will provide weather information for earthquake recovery efforts now underway.
