| Statistics from the Municipal Tourism Bureau show that Beijing has seen about 338,000 foreign tourists in the first two months of this year, up 15 percent on last year.
Saturday's Beijing Daily reported that in January alone, the city saw 160,000 overseas tourists and the number increased to 178,000 in the next month, which brought the city an income of 530 U.S. dollars.
According to the statistics, 28 percent more tourists from the American Continent visited Beijing compared to the same period last year, while the number of European tourists increased by 17 percent.
Insiders say the abundant tourist attractions combined with the special political status of Beijing is attracting an increasing number of visitors to the city.
An official with the municipal tourism bureau said that Beijing is expected to receive 3.9 million overseas tourists this year with the total income of 3.9 billion U.S. dollars. Enditem
(Xinhua News Agency March 18, 2006)
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