Outdoor pools struggle to break even
- Source: Global Times
- [09:37 July 13 2010]
- Comments
Swimmers swarm the beach pool in Tuanjiehu. Photo: Wang Zi
By Wu Jie
While indoor swimming pools are packed with heat-stricken crowds, some residents long for the old, inexpensive outdoor pools that have disappeared from the city in recent years.
"There used to be 72 open-air swimming pools across the city according to a survey we conducted in 2005, but that number nose-dived over the past few years," a Beijing Gym Association employee who wished to be unnamed told the Global Times Monday.
The Workers' Stadium Pool in Chaoyang district closed last year, and the 54-year-old Taoranting Pool in Xuanwu district was shut down last month.
The landmark will be revamped into a sports center that will include an upscale indoor pool, according to the Legal Mirror.
Qingnianhu water park in Dongcheng district, and the beach pools at Tuanjiehu and Chaoyang Park in Chaoyang district are the only three outdoor pools still in service within the Fourth Ring Road, the Beijing Youth Daily reported.
"I'm not sure of the exact number of pools currently operating, but the number has shrunk substantially. Only in rural districts like Daxing and Tongzhou can you find a few," the association employee said.
"Outdoor pools merely run three months out of every year, from June to August, and depend on the weather," she said.
An employee surnamed Gao at Tuanjiehu beach pool said she heard some pools shut down last year. "Water price hikes and high maintenance costs may have lead to their closure," Gao said, adding,
"The admission fees may not break even, especially when it rains."
"We have operated in the red for years, and we raised the admission fee from 10 ($1.48) to 15 yuan ($2.22) this year to make ends meet," said an employee surnamed Chen at Liulang pool, Haidian district.
"I reckon there are no more than 10 outdoor pools in the city. They are cheaper than indoors, but I worry about the hygiene," a swimmer surnamed Yao said.
