It will be interesting to see if China comes out ahead financially or if it is a bust.
QUOTE |
BEIJING - China says the welcome mat remains out for tourists who want to attend the Beijing Summer Olympics, but foreigners apparently view the invitation as a little prickly. Tightened visa regulations, a major earthquake in southern China, unrest over Tibet and a scarcity of tickets to Olympics events have combined to slow the torrent of foreigners once forecast for this summer. When the Olympic Games begin Aug. 8, television cameras are likely to pan over venues filled largely with Chinese faces, few foreigners among them. Some Chinese academics think it's just fine that foreigners stay away. "If they don't come, we'll be better off," said Shen Dingli, a professor of international relations at Fudan University in Shanghai. "The city is already very crowded." China still estimates that 450,000 to 550,000 foreigners will arrive for the Olympic Games, joining 1 million domestic tourists. But foreign tourism has fallen sharply, and experts question whether the estimates are still accurate. |
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I think that some will stay away because it is china. I know I will not be going, they did not let me in back in the 80s so I will not even try. With many people opposed to the policies that the chinese government adheres to I can see why some will not attend.