BEIJING saw a marked drop in the number of overseas tourists in April of 5.3 percent year on year, according to official statistics revealed yesterday.
Yu Xiuqin, the National Bureau of Statistics' spokeswoman attributed the decrease partly to Beijing's tightened business visa approvals on foreign visitors for international exhibitions and conferences, because of safety concerns for the coming Olympic Games to be held in August.
Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Qin Gang said on May 6 the tightened visa approval was in line with international practices, and came from the need to guarantee security in the capital in the run-up to the Games.
The statistics bureau said that the mid-March Lhasa violence was a minor factor in discouraging some foreign tourists from coming to Beijing.