Beijing builds homestays as expo draws close

BEIJING - About 200 homestays will be ready to receive global visitors to Beijing's Yanqing District, where an international expo will be held from April to October.

The International Horticultural Exhibition 2019 will begin in late April, and authorities in the district are preparing a batch of "middle- and high-end" homestays to boost its hosting ability, said Zheng Aijuan, with Yanqing's tourism commission.

"So far we have built 124 such homestays," Zheng said, adding that these homestays are mostly built in rural houses, which exude "a sense of nature and simplicity."

Homestays in the district have seen a rising number of tourists, particularly on weekends, thanks to events like the expo and the 2022 Winter Olympics, Zheng said.

Besides the homestays, many star hotels are also under construction, Zheng added.