Beijing registered an increase of 35 percent tourists during the past week-long National Day holiday, many of whom visited the Olympic venues.

At least 8.02 million people made tours in Beijing from September 29 to October 5, including 2.35 million incoming visitors, the municipal bureau of tourism said in a notice released on Sunday evening.

The city, which had just hosted the Olympics and Paralympics during August and September, harvested 5.25 billion yuan (US$767 million) in tourist revenue, up 27 percent as against the National Day holidays last year.

The bureau attributed much of the tourist surge to "the Olympic effect", as Olympic venues and relative cultural activities became an outstanding attraction among traditional tourist sites.

The Olympic Park, home to the Bird's Nest and Water Cube, attracted 2.17 million visitors during the first six days of the holiday since it was open to the public on September 29. The figure accounted for 25 percent of the city's total tourist arrivals.

In addition, many must-see historic scenic sites remained their attraction. The Forbidden City received 625,000 visitors, 78 percent more than the same period last year, and 396,000 people packed Badaling section of the Great Wall, an increase of 58 percent.

Star-level and non-star hotels reported an average room renting ratio of 63 percent and 70 percent respectively during the past week, up 5 percent and 10 percent than that of the same period last year.

(Xinhua News Agency October 6, 2008)