Summer Olympics is big buzz in Beijing, but Shanghai looks forward to its own Olympics

Shanghai, China’s de facto business and financial heartland, arbiter
of tastes doesn’t rate the Beijing Summer Olympics as the city’s top
visitor attraction, being “blissfully unaffected” despite co-hosting a
total of 12 Olympic soccer matches.

“Some guests will definitely come,” according to Zhao Renrong from the
Shanghai Hotel Industry Association. “They will have to participate in
the Olympic Games, and some will come as spectators.”

It is instead looking to forward to its own Shanghai World Expo 2012
in a bid to attract up to 70 million local as well as foreign visitors
to add to China’s visitor numbers.””We will turn Expo 2012 into a
happy reunion of people from all over the world.”

Official figures from the Shanghai Hotel industry Association show
the city received a total of 106 visitors in 2006, which includes 100
million domestic travellers. “For the past several years, the rates,
revenue and profit of hotels in Shanghai have exceeded those of
Beijing hotels.”

After winning the bid to host The World Expo 2012 “The Olympic Games
of economy, science and technology”, the first World Exposition in a
developing country sanctioned by the International World Expo
Committee, Shanghai lost no time in declaring to the world it will
host a “successful, splendid and unforgettable” exposition.

The World Expo is a global non-commercial expo. During its 150-year
history since the Great Exhibition of Industries of All Nations was
held in London it has been used as a platform to promote the exchange
of ideas, development of the world economy, culture, science and
technology. Exhibitors have used it to display their achievements and
to improve their international relationships.

With the theme “Better City, Better Life” during the 184 days of
Exposition 2010, visitors will get the opportunity to learn “how to
create an eco-friendly society and maintain a sustainable development
of human beings.”

A “spiritual Legacy” in the form of a “Shanghai Declaration” will be
issued towards the conclusion of Expo 2010. The legacy will embody
people’s ideas for “future cooperation and development” to people
throughout the world, added a statement from the organizers.

Shanghai will host the World Expo from May 1 – October 31, 2010 at the
Waterfront of the Huangpu River in downtown Shanghai.