One year after the 2008 Olympic Games, the world-famous site still is attracting millions of visitors to Beijing.
New business proposals and expansion plans promise to bring even more revenues to the massive venue
Operators of the Bird's Nest, or the National Stadium, have submitted a proposal to the Beijing Municipal Government to build restaurants, fitness centers and a shopping complex in 50,000 sq m of commercial space.
Beginning in October, the National Aquatics Center complex, better known as the Water Cube, will undergo an expansion from its current size of 49,000 sq m to 77,000 sq m.
"We were selected as the first company to stage a program at the Water Cube after the Olympics, and we are very proud," said Li Qin, general manager of Beijing Artists Management Corp Ltd.
"I think we should take on the social responsibility to continue the glory of this Olympic venue and the Olympic spirit," Li said.
Following the Summer Olympics in August 2008 and the 2008 Summer Paralympics in September 2008, Li's company staged 69 Music Spectacular Water Cube concerts during the next five months that attracted more than 250,000 people.
Such events added to the numbers and also revenues that far exceeded maintenance costs for the site.
The Beijing State-owned Assets Management Co Ltd (BSAM), the proprietor of the Bird's Nest and Water Cube, in June released a post-Olympics report card on the two Olympics landmarks.
Since being opened to the public last October, the Bird's Nest has attracted more than 3.5 million visitors and generated revenues totaling more than 260 million yuan.
The Water Cube attracted more than 2.26 million visitors and generated 104 million yuan in revenues.
The revenues were generated by three main sources: tourist tickets, performance and competition fees, and sales of licensed products.
Ticket sales accounted for about 70 percent of the revenues, the BSAM reported.
Those numbers, which translated into daily revenues of more than 1.5 million yuan, handily covered the costs of maintaining the attractions.
The Bird's Nest has an annual maintenance cost of 60 million yuan, which includes sanitation, security, fire control and other services.
Powered by ML Technology