HEAVENLY HOLIDAY: During the three-day Pure Brightness Day holiday in April this year, Beijing earned a total tourism income of 810 million yuan ($119.1 million), an 11.3-percent increase from last year (GONG LEI)

The momentum and energy that built up prior to the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympic Games may have subsided as the Olympic flame burned out last summer, but the desire for tourists to visit the Olympic venues across Beijing has not been extinguished. While Olympic crowds of 91,000 may no longer fill the National Stadium, commonly referred to as the "Bird's Nest," the athletic arena has now become a major tourist spot, attracting 20,000 to 30,000 visitors per day, according to the Beijing Tourism Administration.

In the first six months of 2009, some 85.4 million tourists visited Beijing, an increase of 20.8 percent year on year, generating a total tourism income of about 127.1 billion yuan ($18.7 billion), a 14.6-percent increase year on year.

From October 2008 to May 2009, the Bird's Nest alone generated an operational income of 260 million yuan ($38.2 million).

The popularity of the Bird's Nest has been the epitome of Beijing's tourism industry, which has witnessed a substantial growth against the background of the global financial crisis and the A/H1N1 flu epidemic.

In response to the negative effects of the financial crisis and flu epidemic, Beijing's tourism administrative body carried out various advertising ventures to tap the domestic market, promote inbound travel and increase the city's exposure in international markets.

Looking inward

Three major measures were implemented by the Beijing Tourism Administration (BTA) to stimulate interest in the Chinese capital's sights and attractions, said Zhang Huiguang, Director of the administration, at a press conference on July 28.

Tying in with the holiday celebrations, Beijing has been committed to actively fostering consumer interests. To celebrate the Spring Festival, the Chinese New Year which falls on the lunar January or February, a special tourism package was promoted with the theme "Beijing invites you for the New Year." During the 2009 Spring Festival, Beijing received a total of 3.2 million visitors, a jump of 20 percent year on year, with its tourism revenue amounting to 2.16 billion yuan ($317.6 million), up 32.6 percent year on year.

Viewing festivals as golden opportunities to attract tourists, Beijing launched various celebrations with distinct characteristics during the Pure Brightness Day, Labor Day and the Dragon Boat Festival. "During the festivals and holidays this year, Beijing hit record highs in both the number of tourists and tourism revenue," said Zhang at the press conference.

To promote local tourism, Beijing has also established cooperative efforts with its neighboring regions. The Beijing-Tianjin Inter-City Railway, which opened in October 2008, has drawn the two cities closer together, creating a joint force for their tourism development. For the 2009 Spring Festival, the two cities' tourism administrations launched the program of "Traveling Beijing and Tianjin by Express Railway" to encourage travel between the two cities. The two cities' tourist enterprises and administrations have also paid exchange visits to further deepen regional cooperation.

Still in its early stages, the Beijing-Tianjin Tourism Cooperation has already achieved fruitful results. In the first quarter of 2009, tourist traffic from Beijing to Tianjin increased 78 percent, and from Tianjin to Beijing, 48.6 percent. During the three-day Labor Day holiday, visitors from north China accounted for 70 percent of Beijing's total domestic visitors, an increase of 6 percent year on year.

To encourage residents to travel, Beijing also launched a leisure travel action plan including a series of tourism projects with different themes, such as ecology, culture, countryside, technology and fitness. More incentive policies were also launched to entice potential travelers. BTA this year handed out 2 million free tickets for tourist spots to attract tourists from other provinces to travel to the capital.

"The free tickets have dramatically promoted visitor growth," said Zhang. "Some of the grade-A scenic spots have maintained a growth of more than 60 percent for five consecutive months."

According to Zhang, each free ticket brings in about three actual ticket sales, or in a broader sense, each free ticket could potentially add to the tourism consumption 40 times more than its ticketed price.

International promotion

Causing foreigners to cut back on leisure expenses, the financial crisis has resulted in a sharp drop in international tourists traveling to Beijing. The number of holiday makers visiting the capital fell 11 percent in January and February 2009, according to BTA.