For the civilians who want to make investment may have the chance to do so. Along with the cancellation of "hotels for hosting foreign visitors" in Beijing this year foreigners to Beijing may choose their abodes at their own discretion. Like the bars to suit the different tastes of foreigners the rent-out cut to fit the tastes of foreign friends will perhaps bring us another new business opportunity.
According to the report of Beijing Evening Paper, Beijing is going to cancel the regulation about "hotels for hosting foreign visitors" this year, as revealed Zhang Jiawang, Representative of the BPC, Deputy-director of Beijing Public Security Bureau" at the first session of the Beijing People's Congress. After the cancellation of the "hotels for hosting foreign visitors" all other hotels having necessary facilities may host the guests from overseas and those from overseas to Beijing may enjoy the hospitality and treatment as Beijing inhabitants and treatment as Chinese nationals. This is an important measure adopted by Beijing Public Security Bureau for the adaptation to the changes in society. When foreigners come to Beijing later on they can not only choose their own hotels but are also permitted to stay in civilians' homes so long as they make a simple application for it. Say, a Beijing inhabitant has a newly furnished house to rent or lease, or the house epitomizing folk customs or traditional culture that will be a good attraction for foreign visitors to stay, especially the quadrangles in the lane, known as "Hutong" in Chinese.
Last year saw 3 million overseas tourists to Beijing. And according to the estimation of Beijing Tourism 2008 will see some 4.63 million overseas visitors to come in and out of Beijing. In the past any foreign visitor to Beijing had to stay in the hotel designated by the Public Security Bureau of Beijing. To make Beijing adapted to the WTO rules and join the international link the regulation will be revoked this year. The related departments concerned are putting all hotels and guesthouses onto the network, which can provide a clear picture of all hotels and accommodations available for overseas visitors in Beijing. The day when the network comes into being is the day for the cancellation of the "hotels for hosting foreign visitors".
As learned Beijing owns over 50 hotels of 4-star scale and above. News from the tourism department says, the criteria approved for "hotels for hosting foreign visitors" were set very high, for instance, these hotels should provide monitoring installations and safety boxes. Some hotels are the designated hotels for tourists but not the "hotels for hosting foreign visitors" and so they are not permitted to receive visitors from overseas.
(People's Daily January 22, 2003)
