Olympics to woo up to 5 lakh foreign tourists to Beijing

Beijing, the host city of Olympics, was expecting the Games to bring in up to five lakh foreign tourists including Indians to the city, raking in millions of dollars for the booming tourism sector.

Beijing, the host city of Olympics, was expecting the Games to bring in up to five lakh foreign tourists including Indians to the city, raking in millions of dollars for the booming tourism sector.

In total, China expected to receive an estimated six million to seven million international VIPs, athletes, journalists and tourists nationwide during the August 8-24 Olympic period, official sources said.

Previous experience indicated tourism received the most direct, marked and sustained benefits from hosting an Olympics; China had been taking many measures in the pre-Games years to promote its tourism image and lure more visitors, the sources said.

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China, ranks fourth among the world’s leading tourist destinations and the top outbound tourism market in Asia, has abundant in natural scenery spots, history and cultural relics, including the Great Wall has been attracting tourists throughout the world.

With the country’s opening up, the booming tourism industry has weighed more in the national economy.

China recorded over 54.7 million visitor arrivals from January to May, of which 10.74 million were from overseas, 8 per cent higher than the same period last year.

The country raked in USD 17.15 billion from January to May, up 4.86 per cent year on year.

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While Beijing, the Chinese capital attracted the most foreign tourists, other top destination cities in the country included Shenzhen, the Hong Kong border city, Shanghai, the eastern business hub.