Messi visits Qingdao, hotels near Qingdao stadium soar

It was recently announced that Messi will travel to Qingdao and Chengdu on November 4 for two friendly matches. In both cities, hotel prices near the playing fields have risen dramatically, sparking widespread concern. Some budget hotels, closer to the stadiums, have now seen prices rise by a shocking 1,240 percent.

According to a hotel booking app, if you plan to book the Huan Yang Hotel, a budget hotel located less than 200 meters from the Qingdao Youth Island stadium, from Nov. 3 to 5, the price has soared to 1,501 yuan per night. This compares with the normally very low price of RMB 112 per night if you book between November 20 and 22, a whopping 1,240 percent increase. This puts the burden of higher costs on Messi fans traveling to the game.

Similarly, Messi’s second stop was Chengdu on Nov. 8, and some hotels closer to the Phoenix Hill soccer stadium also saw varying degrees of price increases, although the increases were not as dramatic, but high-quality star hotels also showed a shortage of beds.

Undeniably, Messi’s trip has had a significant impact on the economy. It is understood that in order to ensure that this Messi’s trip to China is profitable, the organizers plan to intersperse Messi’s trip with a number of commercial activities. This will give fans more opportunities to interact directly with Messi, although it will also mean that they will have to bear a higher financial cost, which may be more expensive compared to before.