Expensive holiday accommodation and a lack of interest is keeping the UAE residents from travelling to Beijing, China, for the Olympics, according to travel agents and airlines.

With the sporting event only one month away, only a few travel agents have had any enquiries about travelling for the games.

Orient Travel Contract and Operations assistant manager Jatin Gondalia said the expenses in an Olympics host city escalated along with demand and generally deterred travellers.

"We've only had one query, for a corporate group, but it was 25 to 35 per cent above their budget," Gondalia said.

"The starting rate for a hotel is $600 a night. For an entire trip to the Olympics, not including event tickets, it would be at least Dh30,000 per person."

Gondalia said travel agencies specialising in sporting events usually offered tickets to world events but there was no such agency in the UAE.

Alpha Tours Travel and Holidays general manager Fabian Fernandes also noted there had not been many queries about the Olympics from the UAE.

"There has not been much demand," Fernandes said.

Cathay Pacific UAE and Oman manager Henry Chan the airline was operating its normal schedule between Dubai and Beijing and had noticed only slightly stronger demand on the leg.

"My sense is we're not getting a sudden surge in traffic for this coming August.

"A lot of people prefer to watch the Olympics at home."

Cathay operates 10 flights per week to Hong Kong and operates eight flights a day from Hong Kong to Beijing with its partner airline Dragon Air.

Etihad Airways spokesperson Thomas Clarke said load factors had so far been about 65 per cent, lower than the airline's average, but Clarke said the flight was the most recent addition to the airline's network.

The airline's flights began at the end of March and operate four times a week.

Clarke said there could be a late rush on the Dubai-Beijing flight as the market often booked at the last minute.