As the countdown clock clicks ever closer to the 2008 Olympic Games, youth hostels in China's capital have begun to deal with Games-time room reservations and are offering rates even lower than expected for the occasion, Beijing Daily reported.

 

Currently, there are around 30 youth hostels in the city, with over 4,000 beds available.

 

Beijing will receive more than 500,000 inbound tourists during the Games and hostels will play an important role in handling the influx of visitors, said an official of the Beijing Tourism Administration.

 

(BOCOG February 7, 2007)