Tourism officials expect last-minute rush to Vancouver

(Steve Rosset)

The Vancouver tourist board says that it has enough hotel rooms to cater for a last-minute rush to the city during the Winter Olympics, which open this weekend.

The city says that there are still plenty of accommodation options available, along with tickets to many of the events being held in the area. Officials say that they expect people in the area and further afield to make a spontaneous decision to visit the games, which run until February 28 in the west coast Canadian city.

"It's not unusual for people within close proximity of a city hosting the Olympics to get caught up in the excitement and decide to pay a visit," said Walt Judas of Tourism Vancouver. "We're expecting folks from Washington and Oregon to drive up for the celebration."

Judas says that the best way to access those rooms is by contacting the tour operators directly. "We're advising people to consult the list of major tour operators listed on the Tourism Vancouver website (TourismVancouver.com) and to email them rather than the hotels themselves," said Judas.

The busiest time for the games will be the opening and closing ceremonies, although over 350,000 visitors are expected to descend on Vancouver for the event. Visitors can purchase tickets for select events - including both Winter Games events and Cultural Olympiad entertainment - through Tickets.com located at the Tourism Vancouver Visitor Centre ("Tickets Tonight") at 200 Burrard Street in downtown Vancouver.

Website: http://www.tourismvancouver.com/

Website: http://www.ticketstonight.ca/