China becomes global tourist attraction with Olympics impact: survey
12/9/2008 17:19
China has become a global tourist attraction after the Beijing Olympics
which concluded on Aug. 24, according to a survey released by the Nielson
Company in Shanghai yesterday. The survey said the Olympics not only built up
China's image but also served as an advertisement for China's tourism. The
online survey was conducted on consumers in 16 countries and regions before the
Games' opening ceremony and after the closing. About 80 percent of the
respondents had not been to China before the events and 50 percent of them
expressed hopes of visiting China after the Games. According to the survey,
70 percent of the respondents felt Beijing was more modern and scientific than
what they had thought. The most interested respondents were from Hong Kong,
Singapore, India, Mexico, Taiwan, South Africa and the Republic of Korea. Pan
Wen, in charge of Chinese tourism research of the Nielson Company, said the
World Tourism organization predicted that China would become the largest tourist
attraction in the world with 137 million foreign tourists every year. "This
figure would be realized earlier with the aid of the Beijing Olympics," Pan
said.
Xinhua
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