Special report: 2008 Olympic Games
BEIJING, Oct. 26 (Xinhua) -- The number of overseas visitors to Beijing reached 3.2 million in the first nine months of this year, up 12.6 percent from a year earlier, local authorities said on Friday.
The figure breaks down into 2.8 million foreign
tourists, up 14percent, and 400,000 tourists from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan,
up4.1 percent, the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Statistics said in a statement.
The United States, Japan, the Republic of Korea
remain the three largest sources of overseas tourists to Beijing, with the
number standing at 444,000, 435,000 and 341,000 respectively, up 19.4 percent,
22 percent and seven percent, the bureau said.
"Olympic factors", such as the Good Luck Beijing
Sports Events, have mainly boosted the tourism growth, it said.
More visitors are expected to come to Beijing next
year, when the 29th Olympic Games are held.
During the Games next year, China will host 280,000
athletes, referees, journalists and other workers from more than 200 countries
and regions, according to the Beijing Organizing Committee for the 2008 Olympic
Games (BOCOG).
About five million overseas tourists and more than
120 million domestic travelers will visit Beijing in 2008 and seven million
spectators will watch the games at the venues, according to official statistics.
