[esears2004]

I am wondering how the Beijing Olympic is promoted if giving the foreigners to visit China a hard time to apply for Visa.

I heard some tourist can no longer apply for Landing China visa in Lowu and instead have to apply from their country?

Any comments?

[jaykay]

Who's actually at the stadium doesn't really matter. TV audiences matter and that's what will be used to judge the success of the Olympics.

[Sleuth]

Unless you have already counted all the big dollars you were going to make selling stuff to foreigners who now aren't coming to the games.

[hongkong7]

The Chinese olympics are clearly designed with domestic audience(and i agree -"TV image") in mind and the last thing they want is a lot of pesky foreigners and their potentially embarrassing antics.

Anyway its their party after all and they can invite who they like.

[Sleuth]

Originally Posted by hongkong7

The Chinese olympics are clearly designed with domestic audience(and i agree -"TV image") in mind and the last thing they want is a lot of pesky foreigners and their potentially embarrassing antics.

Anyway its their party after all and they can invite who they like.

I was with you until that last part. I'm not so sure the Olympics is the PRC'S party.

[hongkong7]

"Anyway its their party after all and they can invite who they like"

Actually just being sarcastic here as the Chinese govt sure are acting like this.

Generally irritable at the moment i guess as got taken aside yet again at Lo Wu on the weekend and asked for my HKID (even though had a same day visa for Shenzen issued at the same crossing office not 10 mins earlier!)

[ontheroad]

Originally Posted by Sleuth

Unless you have already counted all the big dollars you were going to make selling stuff to foreigners who now aren't coming to the games.

They're alreading selling the Olympic merchandise overseas anyway.
Honestly, I don't think the Olympic games attract that many tourists from overseas, aside from the athletes families and sporting/olympic officials. Tickets are expensive and hard to get, accomodation goes up during the games, who can afford it anymore? Apart from the opening ceremony most people probably don't watch it on TV either. Except for a couple of events, it's just not that exciting.

[pin]

Originally Posted by ontheroad

They're alreading selling the Olympic merchandise overseas anyway.
Honestly, I don't think the Olympic games attract that many tourists from overseas, aside from the athletes families and sporting/olympic officials. Tickets are expensive and hard to get, accomodation goes up during the games, who can afford it anymore? Apart from the opening ceremony most people probably don't watch it on TV either. Except for a couple of events, it's just not that exciting.

The previous Olympics had HUGE foreign turn out, that is one of the key attractions to them.

Its supposed to be a GLOBAL party, not just a PRC party.

However this will be the Chinese Olympics, for the Chinese and not for the rest of the world.

[ontheroad]

Originally Posted by pin

The previous Olympics had HUGE foreign turn out, that is one of the key attractions to them.

Its supposed to be a GLOBAL party, not just a PRC party.

However this will be the Chinese Olympics, for the Chinese and not for the rest of the world.

Maybe because it was in Europe, there was easy access? I was in Sydney for the Olympics and there weren't that many tourists. Truckloads of foreign officials, dignitaries and sporting people but not much more.

I would think the key attraction would be simply the exposure the country gets in the media: after the Sydney Olympics there was a huge rise in tourists coming to the country;

[whong]

as a diehard sports fan, would love to go to the venues... but too much crowds and hard to get tickets.. why bother? ... have to watch the games @ home. the protests and visa problems just draw even more political fires...