Beijing tourism department on Thursday reassured foreign tourists that increased security at the city's parks was not aimed at them but at providing a safe environment for everyone to enjoy the Olympics.

Parks and other tourist sites in Beijing have adopted tighter security measures, including sample security checks on tourists, said Wang Pengxun, a senior official of the Beijing Municipal Administration Center of Parks, at a press conference.

"The security checks did not hold back people from visiting these sites or slow down their travel for we only examined large or suspicious hand baggage," he said.

About 2.3 million people have visited the 11 parks administrated by the city government, including the Summer Palace and Temple of Heaven since the beginning of the Olympics, he said.

Xiong Yumei, deputy director of the Beijing Tourism Administration, said about 4.8 million tourists had visited 164 tourist sites in Beijing between Aug. 8 and 20, including about 1,000 VIPs from more than 20 countries.

Beijing also provided 32 travel packages for athletes and coaches, varying from half-day tour to those of several days in Beijing. China Travel Service Head Office has operated the service in the Olympic Village.

"They are popular. So far we have not received any complaints," Xiong said.

(Xinhua News Agency August 21, 2008)