Beijing to Recruit 1,000 “Olympic Families”

The Beijing municipal government has launched a campaign to recruit 1,000 homestay families for overseas tourists during the upcoming Beijing Olympics.

On Thursday afternoon, the family of Han Rubing, a university English teacher, received an "Olympic Family" sign numbered 0000 from the tourism authority. Her family became the first family authorized to receive Olympic travelers due to the hostess' language skills, her son's kung fu knowledge, and the condition of their apartment.

Xiong Yumei, a government official, told the Beijing Evening News the recruitment is open to families living near the Olympic competition venues. Families that are able to provide a separate guest room can apply before the April 30 deadline, but only if all family members are in good health and at least one member can speak a foreign language.

The results of the selection will come out in May, and successful candidates will receive minor training before the end of June.

Hotel capacity in Beijing is sufficient to meet the need for the Olympics, but the city is running this program so tourists can gain better knowledge of the local lifestyle, Xiong said.

The families are expected to accommodate about 30, 000 tourists in August and September.

Overseas travelers can stay with the families at a cost of about 50 to 80 US dollars per day by joining an Olympic tour operated by China Travel Service or China International Travel Service. （Xinhua）