With the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games coming to the end, more vistors are expected to come to Beijing, a capital with a one-thousand-year-old history. The city is preparing by putting in place new tourist information services. On August 23, the day before the Olympics closing ceremony, volunteers went to the Badaling Great Wall in eight mobile tourist information buses to show off their services.

 

Xiong Yumei, the deputy director of the Beijing Tourism Administration, was serving as a volunteer.

 

"As the Beijing Olympic Games are coming to an end, we think that many athletes and tourists all over the world will take this chance to visit some places of interest in Beijing. They will request more tourism information. So today we choose to come to the Great Wall and serve people in need. We feel happy that we can help those tourists as volunteers."

 

Unlike stationary information booths, the mobile information service buses are widely welcomed by visitors for their convenience and flexibility.

 

"Our services buses always serve in places where the most people or tourists are likely to visit. For example, Shichahai, Prince Gong's Mansion, Beijing's theme park, Happy Valley, and Chaoyang Park are places where we go most."

 

"This pamphlet is for foreign friends who stay in Beijing, "Food, Eat and Night." Maybe he wants to go to Shichahai. And this one is for the Olympic Games. For example, they can look for Wukesong Stadium and the others. And this one is for the subway when foreign friends take the subway. As for this one, I think it is more important for visitors. There are 9 parts to it such as happy shopping and help in Beijing. In Beijing there is a lot of good food and many other things. We have information in Korean, English, Russian and Spanish."

 

From the day of the Olympics opening ceremony until now, the mobile tourist information service has received 54,007 visitors. Thirty percent of them have been foreigners.

 

Several visitors at the Badaling Great Wall today say they are impressed with the volunteer tourism service.

 

"As Beijing is such a vast city, there are so many interesting places that we don't know. If we have the map, we know where to go and how we can get there."

 

"I have the book because of the lovely people here. The map and the book of where to go and see in Beijing are helpful too. We are grateful for their help."

 

Xiong Yumei from the Beijing Tourism Administration says city officals expect another tourism boom soon.

 

"We estimate that there will also be many visitors in Beijing during the Paralympics, and the National Day holiday is another tourism peak. As we now have abundant tourism resources such as the Bird's Nest and Water Cube, visitors who haven't got the chance to see Olympic events at home and abroad will come to Beijing."