Han Rubing and her son Miao Handeyu hold a plate accrediting them as a homestay family in Beijing yesterday.

Up to 1,000 Chinese families will host foreign visitors to Beijing this summer as part of an Olympic Homestay program, the municipal tourism bureau said yesterday.

Families with a spare room and at least one member who can speak a foreign language have until the end of the month to apply to take part in the program, Xiong Yumei, deputy director of the bureau, said at a press conference.

The visitors must be given their own air-conditioned bedroom, be provided with clean sheets, and have access to shower facilities and a telephone, Xiong said.

"We will send teams next month to meet the families that have applied and select those that best meet the requirements. Later, they will be given training on etiquette and folk customs," she said.

The homestay families will be allowed to charge guests between 400 and 600 yuan per day, she said.