The slogan for the FIFA World Cup 2006 in Germany, "A time to make friends", compellingly highlights the best that the international football tournament offers: the world's top players, exciting goals, passionate fans, lots of beer, and non-stop partying.

Despite the undeniable allure, this year's event has failed to attract Chinese tourists to Germany in the same way the last one did four years ago. This is partly because the Chinese team has failed to qualify this year, but more importantly because of a lack of tickets and high hotel and transportation costs.

Typical World Cup packages offered by Chinese travel agents, including tickets to a match and sightseeing tours, cost roughly 30,000 yuan (US$3,750) per person. This is three times higher than similar packages for the 2002 World Cup in Japan and South Korea. It's also much higher than an ordinary 10-day tour to Europe, which costs between 12,000 yuan (US$1,500) and 15,000 yuan (US$1,875) per person.

"The high prices are due to a number of factors," says Jin Changshan, general manager of Hausen, a diversified tour services company, citing ticket shortages, high prices, and overbooked hotels.

"Most hotels in the 12 host cities throughout Germany are almost completely booked, and prices have at least tripled," says Jin, who has worked in the tourism industry for more than 10 years. He is also quite familiar with Germany, which he visits every two months.

According to figures from the German National Tourist Board Beijing Office, Chinese travel agents have purchased only 2,000 to 3,000 World Cup tickets. Tourist operators bought more than 10 times as many for the previous tournament, however. Only a handful of big travel agents have even bothered to offer packages this year, Jin adds.

Now several travel agents are offering tour packages for the World Cup, including Beijing UTS International Travel Service and China Youth Travel Service. Prices range from 20,000 yuan (US$2,500) to 80,000 yuan (US$10,000).

Match tickets and hotels are determining the huge price differences between packages, industry insiders say. Tickets for matches between top teams such as Argentina and the Netherlands, for example, are much higher than for other games. Some tour operators also choose hotels outside of Germany to keep room prices lower.

The World Cup tour market is generally divided into two parts. Some companies primarily focus on the matches by offering packages that include tickets to some of the top games. Sightseeing tours are included with these products, but the emphasis is on the tournament itself.

Other companies primarily cater to travellers, rather than devoted football fans. These packages include sightseeing tours in Germany and neighbouring countries.

"These diversified tour packages are good for Chinese tourists because they can make different choices based on their specific needs," Jin says. "And they are also good for travel companies, because it helps them avoid blind competition for similar products."

Both kinds of products have sold well, and most domestic travel agents report that 80 per cent of their World Cup tours had been sold by mid-May.

Sources from CTS Sports Travel Service say corporate clients are the main purchasers of its World Cup travel tours. Beijing CAISSA International Travel Service Co Ltd, the first domestic company to focus on this year's World Cup, also reports that companies have booked 60 per cent of its tour products. These enterprises usually purchase the tours as rewards for their staff and clients.

(China Daily 05/22/2006 page4)