VANCOUVER, B.C. — The countdown to the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Winter Games has already begun. A digital clock in downtown Vancouver shows the remaining time to the opening ceremony by day, hour, minute and second.
New highway entrance signs have been added to promote the Olympics.
The arena housing a new ice rink has gone up in Richmond near the Vancouver International Airport. Light-rail lines are being added. And the Vancouver Convention Center is being expanded to serve as the main media center for the games, which will take place in February in 2010 and be followed by the Paralympic Winter Games in March.
“This is a big year for construction in Vancouver,” Raymond Chan, spokesman for Tourism British Columbia, said this week.
Organizers expect about a million people to visit British Columbia during the Olympics in which about 5,000 athletes and officials from 80 countries are set to participate, Chan said. An estimated 10,000 accredited media members will report on the games and three billion television viewers are expected to watch them around the world.
“For us, it’s really a great opportunity to showcase our region to the world,” Chan said.
Business owners are working with Olympic organizers to reap economic benefits from the event, said Greg Holmes, director of sales at the popular Vancouver Aquarium.
“We will create significant exposure,” Holmes said.
Area residents are gearing up for the big event as well. Organizers have already secured about 25,000 volunteers needed for the Olympics, Chan said. More and more people continue to show interest in volunteering.
Volunteers and businesses are receiving training to welcome athletes, officials and tourists to British Columbia, Chan said.
“We are really looking at ensuring all the volunteers and businesses are well-trained to treat visitors,” he said.
The Olympics will also benefit and affect the American Northwest, Chan said. Some visitors will fly in to Washington airports. Snohomish County has created its own group, SnoGold 2010, to help local businesses and organizations be ready for the opportunities created by the Olympics. It’s trying to bid for skating or skiing teams to establishing training camps in the county.
Organizers expect many Washingtonians and Oregonians to drive up I-5 and spend time and money in their northern neighbor during the games, Chan said.
The U.S. government is set to start a new border crossing requirement in summer 2008, said Mike Milne, spokesman for the U.S. Bureau of Customs and Border Protection. The new rule requires passports for all travelers, including drivers when they re-enter the United States after a few hours of shopping in Canada. A driver’s license now suffices.
Washington state Gov. Chris Gregoire and British Columbia Premier Gordon Campbell are trying to streamline the crossings in preparation for the Olympics. State officials plan to authorize new enhanced driver’s licenses, which will allow drivers to cross the border without presenting passports.
The new passport rule could hinder traffic during the Olympics and send a chill through tourism and trade on both sides of the border, critics say.
“There is some concern by the tourism industry,” Chan said.
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