Just days ahead of the vote to decide the host city for the 2022 Winter Olympic Games, the Kazakhstan city of Almaty has laid out its plans to ensure there is room at the inn for everyone.
City officials say Almaty, which is a clear underdog in a two-horse race against Beijing, has signed agreements from hotel owners and real estate developers for over 31,000 rooms.
Almaty will have 10,580 rooms in dedicated villages for Olympic officials and competitors, more than 15,000 rooms in new serviced apartments and in excess of 5,000 rooms in existing hotels and resorts in all price ranges by the time the Games start.
"Tourist arrivals to Almaty have been steadily growing over the past years. Besides housing for the city’s growing population, the demand for hotels across all categories is rising," said Rosa Assanbayeva, president of Kazakhstan Tourism Association.
Almaty mayor Akhmetzhan Yessimov said: "Almaty’s guarantees exceed all IOC requirements. All client groups will find comfortable accommodation in our city across all categories – from 5-star hotels to university residences for low-budget visitors.
In a David v Goliath contest, Almaty clearly believes it has got strengths that even Beijing cannot match.
One of these is unlimited natural snow, something Beijing cannot guarantee.
The Chinese capital has assured IOC members it has the ability to produce enough artificial to supplement the real thing.
Almaty is also touting itself as a compact host city – all venues are within a 30 mile radius.
The city says it also stands out as a true winter sports destination with a long history.
Almaty has a long tradition of winter sports dating back to the 1950s Soviet era and previously hosted the Asian Winter Games.
"Hosting the Winter Games will further the development of winter sports in Kazakhstan and the Central Asian region," added Arystanbek Mukhamediuly, Kazakhstan’s minister of culture and sport.
The final decision takes place this week during the 128th IOC session in Kuala Lumpur.
