Press conference on reception services for tourists in Beijing _Live Cast

活动标题

Press conference on reception services for tourists in Beijing

活动描述

A press conference on Beijing tourist attractions' reception services is held at the 2008 Beijing International Media Center (2008 BIMC) on August 21. Several officials brief the press and take questions. China.org.cn presents live coverage of the press conference.

文字内容：

Sun Ying :

Good morning! Welcome to this press conference. Our topic is about the tourist attractions service during the Olympic Games. The Games presents a good opportunity for people across the world to see the beautiful scenes of China and its culture. As the Games are drawing to a conclusion, I believe friends from the press are also interested in the services at the cultural highlights of Beijing. First I would like to introduce Xiong Yumei, Deputy Director of the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Tourism; Liu Ying, Deputy Director of the Beijing Municipal Center of Park Administration; Kan Yue, manager of the Summer Palace; Yang Xiaodong, manager of the Temple of Heaven; Wang Pengxun, Assistant to the Director of Beijing Municipal Center of Park Administration, and Director of Service Management.

2008-08-21 11:25:05
Xiong Yumei:

It's a great pleasure for me to brief you on the tourism service during the Olympic Games and the Paralympic Games. Now it is the thirteenth day of the games. Our tourism service has been proceeding smoothly.

First I would like to talk about the hotel service. The star rated hotels have received many guests during the Olympic Games and the number of tourist peaked on Aug 7. The room occupancy was 81 percent for 5-star hotels, about 60 percent for 4-star hotels and 50 percent for 3-star hotels. Between Aug. 8-20, 117 officially designated hotels received some 32,000 visitors daily. All together they have received 45,000 guests and presented tailored services to different groups in terms of catering, conference and security.

2008-08-21 12:03:33
Xiong Yumei :
The service provided by VIP hotels and Olympic headquarters hotels has won the recognition of head of state and IOC officials and services in other hotels have been welcomed by officials, media and guests from other countries. To date we have received no complaint. Actually, the hotels have received letters of gratitude from the guests. They thanked us for the diverse catering services and other tailored services.
2008-08-21 12:04:55
Xiong Yumei :

Second, concerning the services provided at tourist attractions. From Aug.8-20, 164 tourist attractions in Beijing have received 4.8 million visitors. About 1,000 VIPs from over 20 countries visited Summer Palace, Great Wall and Forbidden City. These visitors appreciate the services provided at these tourist area as well as the beautiful scenes.

Third, the service provided at the Olympic Village. Our bureau is in charge of this and we selected 2,580 professionals from 12 hotels in Beijing to form a service team. We also selected 4,900 teachers and students from 28 universities in Beijing to help with the service. To date, the Olympic Village has received 14,300 athletes and officials from 204 countries and regions. The media village has received 7,000 accredited journalists.

2008-08-21 12:05:56
Xiong Yumei :

By Aug. 19, a total of 316,332 pieces of bedding stuff have been replaced, exceeding the rate of previous Olympics by 2-5 %. The laundering service extends to 18 hours per day. The village also made special birthday arrangements for sportsmen by presenting flowers and birthday cakes as a gift. So far the Olympic Village has received 51 letters of thanks and the two media villages have received 466 letters and messages of thanks.

Fourth, the tourist agency service. From Aug 8-20, 123 contract agencies received 2,251 tourist groups of which 1,636 are inbound tourist groups. We selected CTS, CTI, CTYS to provide service to more than 1,000 sportsmen and officials at the Olympic Village, MPC and BIMC. We've received no complaint with the tourist agencies either.

2008-08-21 12:12:45
Xiong Yumei:

Our bureau has arranged shuttle bus service to Tian'anmen Square and The Great Wall. We have provided 135 services and the operation is going smoothly. From August 1st we opened a tourism service hotline 12301 to provide 24-hour Chinese and English tourism information service. Today we have 6,308 inquiries, an increase of 140 percent from last year. Also, with BOCOG, we set up 56 information tents in main tourist attractions, business regions, etc. We also work with the visa company to purchase 11 tourism information buses, which go to Haidian, Xicheng, and Chaoyang districts. From August 8th to 20th, these service centers, information bus, and info tents have received more than 750,000 tourists and distributed more than 1.65 million materials.

2008-08-21 12:13:37
Xiong Yumei :
A total of more than 14 million people have visited our official websites in seven languages and the digital language tents since Beijing 2008 tourism info videos have been broadcasted in many venues and since July 20th our tourism promotion video Beijing 2008 has been broadcasted in train stations, domestic international airliners, buses, and community screens. More than 30,000 copies of this tourism info video have been distributed in Olympic press centers, contracted hotels and media village.
2008-08-21 12:14:16
Xiong Yumei :

Meanwhile, we have started preparation for the Paralympic Games. In terms of facilities, Accessibility facilities have been installed for all the three, four and five star hotels. We have installed ramps, rooms, and toilets. For these hotels prepared for the Paralympic Games participants, we have invested 2 million yuan to increase 100 accessible rooms. Our bureau has invested 67 million yuan to install 13,905 bilingual signs and more than 10,000 accessible ramps in the parks.

In the preparation we also have enhanced the training of staff members including training of sign languages and services for people with disabilities. So that is all I have to say. Thank you!

2008-08-21 12:15:03
Sun Ying :
Now we would like to invite Ms. Liu Ying to speak.
2008-08-21 12:19:15
Liu Ying:

The Municipal Center of Park Administration is in charge of the Beijing Zoo, the Zhongshan, Jingshan, Beihai, and Temple of Heaven parks -- a total of 11 Beijing parks and the Beijing Botany College and Institute. To provide good service during the Games, we have looked to improve the quality of these parks.

2008-08-21 12:19:43
Liu Ying :
Now I'd like to introduce to you the work that has been done by these 11 parks. First, the service for the visitors, during the Olympic Games the accredited sportsmen, officials, and journalists with Olympic passes can visit municipally sponsored parks free of charge and we have volunteers there to provide tour guide. From the 8th to 20th these 11 parks have received tourists totaling 2.3 million. The Temple of Heaven, the Summer Palace, and the Beihai Park have received 3 Olympic related foreign visitor groups with more than 200 participants. These parks have received 36 tourist-related groups – 20 of level-A, 9 level B and 7 of level C. A is visit by foreign ministers and heads of states; B is speakers, vice presidents, vice prime ministers, and we refer C to the ministers. From July 23 to August 18 these 11 parks received more than 22,230 Olympic-related guests including 9,465 officials, 1,851 sportsmen/women, 4,942 journalists and 5,071 company officials and other staff totaling around 904.
2008-08-21 12:20:19
Liu Ying:

Second, service to the Olympic events. On Aug. 6, the Temple of Heaven assisted in the torch relay. It has also made arrangements and services for the temple section of the Marathon events. The athletes entered the park from the north and exited by the south, running about 2 km inside the park. We have re-laid the road surface and made relevant arrangements at the courses. We have finished the service for the women's marathon, and have been ready for serving the men's marathon on Aug. 24 and the marathon event of Paralympics on Sep. 17. On Aug. 28 Beijing Paralympic flame collection and inauguration of torch relay will also take place in the Temple of Heaven, and we will assist to provide services and ensure success.

Third, since the opening of the games, Beijing's scenic spots have received more than 200 VIPs. They include wife of Mr. Jacques Rogge, Prince of Monaco, the treasury secretary of America and Prime Minister of Fiji. They all highly appreciated the profound history and culture of China and hoped for success of the Olympic Games.

2008-08-21 12:20:47
Liu Ying :

For instance Mr. Henry Kissinger wrote in guest book that the Summer Palace is a treasure of the Chinese nation and hopes they will enjoy a bright future. President of Mauritius left his message at Temple of Heaven: My delegation and I were delighted to visit this place of great historical significance made by emperors of ancient China. Thank you very much for your warm reception and guided tours.

We also provided service to the journalists. Arranged by BIMC, more than 300 accredited journalists visited Jingshan Park, Beijing Zoo, and the Botanic Garden. These parks have also received more than 500 overseas journalists.

2008-08-21 12:22:34
Liu Ying:

Fifth we have seen many deeds by good Samaritans. Our staff has acted as warm hosts to help introduce visitor-oriented measures. We set up smoking zones, prepared sewing kits, hot water, and first aid. We also provide quality tissue and toilet paper in the toilets in the park. We have seen since the opening of the Games, over 50 cases of good Samaritans in the park. I'd like to share some with you.

On Aug. 5 American tourist Anna, her daughter and her friends totaling 10 came to Beihai Park. The history of the park and quality service of the staff greatly attract these visitors. They changed their original itinerary during their four-day in Beijing. Later on they came to Beihai Park each day. They love this park very much. And they gave the Olympic rings to the working staff as gifts. Our staff has accompanied them in their four day stay in Beijing and made friends with them.

2008-08-21 12:25:59
Liu Ying :

So the staff gave these American visitors the "mu" shaped fans with scenes of the park as gifts. We also have a lot of visitors in the Summer Palace and the Temple of Heaven. They have enjoyed quality services there. We have our managers from the Summer Palace and the Temple of Heaven here. They are in a better position to brief you on this aspect

Sixth, eight major cultural activities, sponsored by these municipal parks, have been staged including exhibitions of pandas from Sichuan, the flower show of Olympic rings linking 5 continents, the Shao musical performance in the Temple of Heaven, the 12th lotus exhibition in Beihai Park, the bamboo and lotus art festival in Purple Bamboo Park, the flower show in Zhongshan Park and Olympic collection exhibition in the Summer Palace. These have been very popular with our visitors.

2008-08-21 12:26:23
Liu Ying :

Seventh, these parks also installed many flowerbeds and staged cultural exhibitions. All these parks have displayed flower beds themed on Chinese culture and Olympic glory. We have a total of twenty flowerbeds and more than 100 flower pots with a total of 5 million pots of flowers. These flowerbeds have been staged together, which showcase Chinese calligraphy, painting and traditional arts.

This is all I have to say. Thank you and you are welcome to these parks for a visit. My colleagues and I are ready to answer your questions. Thank you.

2008-08-21 12:27:49
Sun Ying :
The floor is open for questions.
2008-08-21 12:31:37
Phoenix TV:
In your opening remarks you have given us lots of data and statistics. I want to know whether you have any comparisons between these figures with the previous years'. And you also mentioned that these have received a lot of visits from foreigners, but can you give us any specific data on the income from tourism during the Olympic Games? Concerning the visits to the parks, you also gave us some figures. But I know in some parks the visitors have to go through security screening processes. Will this affect the number of visitors to these parks?
2008-08-21 12:32:03
Xiong Yumei:
Concerning the figure on the occupancy rate of the hotels, I will give the following specific data. For five-star hotels the occupancy rate is 81 percent on average and the last year it was 69 percent, so it has increased by 12 percent. For four-stars, the rate is 60 percent while last year was 69 percent, so this year it was a bit lower. For 3-star hotels it was 30-50 percent this year, a little lower than before. As regards income in the tourism Industry during Olympic Games, we are still collecting this and have to be responsible for publishing the data. In this regard so we shall wait till the end of the Games.
2008-08-21 12:32:40
Wang Pengxun:
Since August 13 in 11 parks in Beijing security measures have been operating. However these are different from those adopted in venues. We have adopted a sampling security check in these parks so that only those with very big bags or backpacks will be put under security screenings, so these measures have not affected visits to these parks. From the opening of the Olympic Games till yesterday, the figure concerning visits to these parks amounts to 2.3 million, nearly the same from last year. In these parks there are a lot of permanent residents in Beijing who will visit these places on a daily basis so our statistics have been quite stable.
2008-08-21 12:33:42
China National Radio:
Related to travels and visits by athletes and their coaches, have there been any special routes of sightseeing for them?
2008-08-21 12:34:28
Xiong Yumei:
In order to facilitate the sightseeing by these people, we have already designated the China International Travel Service Limited, Head Office to be stationed in Olympic Village to provide such services. 32 routes have been designed for athletes and their coaches with six routes of half-day, three of one day sights and four for sightseeing at night and 19 for multi-day sightseeing. Such services have been well received by athletes and their coaches and we have received no complaints from them.
2008-08-21 12:36:19
China Daily:
Some people say in certain hotels foreigners have been put under surveillance. What's your comment on that? And after the end of the Paralympics, how will you use the Olympic Green? Will it be another tourist attraction in Beijing?
2008-08-21 12:37:06
Xiong Yumei:
Regarding your first question, as a leading official of authorities in charge of hotel services, I can in a very responsible way say to you that we have just adopted the international practice of providing security measures in all the public places including hotels in Beijing. Such reports or arguments are totally ungrounded and there are laws and regulations which protect the privacy of citizens as well as visitors to China, so foreigners do not need to have any worries about their privacy. For your next question, we believe the hosting of the Games will leave a valuable heritage to the development of the tourism industry in Beijing. We are currently coordinating with relevant authorities on how to further use and develop these facilities of the Olympic Games, including the Water Cube and Bird's Nest and after the Games we will produce a complete plan for the development of these facilities.
2008-08-21 12:37:33
BTV:
About the volunteers in those parks, I hope director Wang will provide some information on what kind of services these volunteers have been involved in.
2008-08-21 12:41:34
Wang Pengxun:
We have two types of volunteers in the parks: The first type is those permanent volunteers in such parks as the Beijing Zoo and Botanical gardens whose responsibility is to disseminate the knowledge of the importance of protecting nature and our environment. The other type is those volunteers designated or chosen by BOCOG and other relevant authorities for providing social services during the games. We have all set up stations in these parks to ensure these volunteers will be able to provide services. All these volunteers are quite proficient and well-trained and they have provided very good, high-quality services for tourists from both home and abroad and have been highly commended for what they have done.
2008-08-21 12:42:03
Hunan Economic TV:
According to your statistics, could you tell us what tourist attractions are the most favored by foreign visitors? My second question is: As the Paralympics will be held next month, have you had any special arrangements to provide accessibility?
2008-08-21 12:42:51
Kan Yue:
Indeed, people are now paying increasing attention to the Paralympics as it is around the corner. As a matter of fact, Beijing has spent several years since it won the bid for the Games. To prepare for the Paralympics, we have invested a lot of energy and resources in improving facilities for the Paralympics in these parks. As far as the Summer Palace is concerned, since this is an ancient imperial palace, it is to some extent difficult to install certain facilities. However, thanks to our good planning and designing, we have made full preparations for the Paralympics. For example, we have insured that the people with physical challenges will be able to enter from the Eastern gate of the Summer Palace and then follow the main route for sightseeing from the long corridor, to the west bank, all the way around the lake of Summer Palace. We have insured that such routes will cover all the major sightseeing spots in the Summer Palace. At the same time we have made great efforts to ensure such kinds of visitors will have full access to all facilities including sightseeing, shopping, and the catering-food and beverage, as well as toilets.
2008-08-21 12:44:09
Kan Yue:
At the same time, in installation we have taken into account the features of such ancient imperial palaces, and in choosing the building materials and the facility locations we have paid greater attention to all these factors to minimize the possible impact on the landscape and the harmony of these facilities and the features of the imperial palaces. Concerning the services, we have already trained our staff so that they can provide good services to those groups and people with special needs. We have already completed such tasks, therefore we are fully confident we can provide all the necessary services to people with special needs.
2008-08-21 12:48:20
Beijing Morning Post:
I have a question for Xiong Yumei. I want to know what kind of souvenirs are the favorite ones for foreign visitors. Do they like those franchised Olympic souvenirs? Or other type of souvenirs, such as toys or clothing? Do you have any figures concern their sales or relevant statistics?

2008-08-21 12:49:26
Xiong Yumei :
When they enjoy the Olympic Games, visitors also enjoy a lot of other entertainment activities. For the Olympic Games, foreign visitors are staying longer than in other times, therefore they have more time for shopping and enjoying Chinese food. We do not have any specific figures to indicate what are the favorite souvenirs for foreign visitors, however we know that such shopping places as the Silk Market and Hongqiao Pearl Market are the favorite places for foreign visitors. As food is concerned, Beijing roast duck and local delicacies are also loved by the foreign visitors very much. We will compile the collection of data concerning the turnover and sales of major shopping malls in Beijing.
2008-08-21 12:50:11
BTV:

I have a question for Mr. Yang. I learned that many foreigners visited the Temple of Heaven and they had interactions with local citizens and learned from them how to play the traditional Chinese musical instruments and to sing folk songs in China. Could you give us some comment on that? My second question is as the Paralympics are coming soon, have you had any improvement or new facilities added to the restrooms and toilets?

2008-08-21 12:55:35
Yang Xiaodong:

As for your first question, I think what you just described happens not only during the Olympic Games. As a matter of fact every day at 6 am when the Temple of Heaven opens, tens of thousands of people go into the park and have their daily morning exercise. This has already become one of the highlights of the Temple of Heaven. During the Games time, many VIPs visited the Temple of Heaven and were quite interested in this. For instance, the Crown Prince of Denmark announced his keen interest in seeing this kind of scene – thousands of people having morning exercise in the park.

2008-08-21 12:56:04
Yang Xiaodong :

For the Paralympics, what has been done in the Summer Palace has been done in the Temple of Heaven, we have made similar preparations. For example, on August 28 there will be the launch of the flame for the Paralympics held in the Temple of Heaven; on September 4 the park will also receive the officials from the Paralympics; and also on September 17, the men's and women's marathon competitions of the Paralympics will go through the park. We have made preparations for all these events, including installing facilities for the people with physical challenges in restrooms. We'll provide special services for people with special needs. We have special facilities to ensure people with wheelchairs access to the Round Mound and Hall of Praying for Good Harvest.

There is neither hill nor water nor lake in the Temple of Heaven. The park covers an area of 273 hectares and all the routes inside the park have been linked by 60 slopes ensuring the accessibility for the people with special needs.

2008-08-21 12:58:15
Phoenix TV:

I have a follow up to my previous question. Just now you gave us some figures on occupancy rates of hotels. Except for five-star hotels, the occupancy rates for four and three star hotels were lower than the previous years. So does that mean that in August there have been fewer foreign visitors coming into China compared with the same month of last year? And if that's not the case, can you give us any specific data concerning foreign or inbound visits since August 7?

2008-08-21 13:00:10
Xiong Yumei:

Firstly we're still in the month of August and the Olympics are still going on, so for the moment I cannot give you the figure concerning this month. The second thing is that concerning the decrease of the occupancy rates for the hotels, I think there is a basic fact that we need to bear in mind: Regarding the four- and five- star hotels, they mainly receive foreign visitors while three-star hotels receive domestic visitors. Such a distinction between five-, four- and three-star hotels is a natural result. For the moment, the occupancy rate for the five-star hotel is higher than the year before and for the four-star the rate is around the same with the last year.

2008-08-21 13:01:07
Xiong Yumei :

The occupancy rate for three-star hotels and below is lower than that of last year. However, by showing the decreasing of occupancy rates we cannot claim that there have been fewer visitors. I think one of the major reasons is that the number of small hotels and inns has been increasing quickly in Beijing.

I have a range of figures. At the end of 2006, there were 700 star-level hotels in Beijing, however in July 2008 the figure had risen to 818. So the growth is 118. For smaller hotels, the figure had risen from 4,023 to 4,978 within less than two years, up 955. So the number of rooms has risen from 157,000 to 209,000 while the beds have risen from 333,000 to 380,000. So, the decrease of occupancy rates does not necessarily mean a reduction in the number of visitors.

2008-08-21 13:05:04
Sun Ying:

That concludes today's press conference. Thank you.

2008-08-21 13:06:16

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