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Beijing to experience long term benefit from Olympics

According to the Association of British Travel Agents (Abta), the Chinese capital Beijing will see great benefits from having hosted the Olympic Games in tourism terms, but may have to wait some time for these benefits to be properly felt. Sean Tipton, an Abta spokesman, said that Olympic host cities rarely see substantial benefits while the Olympics is still going on. Many tourists will actively stay away due to fears that accommodation prices will be higher because of greater demand, while sports enthusiasts are less likely to travel to the Olympics than to a cricket tour or football World Cup. Mr Tipton confirmed that while this is the case, the global exposure generated by the Olympics is likely to lead to a substantial boost in tourism for Beijing and for China as a whole in the future. 'It is always very beneficial for the countries chosen in the following years because it attracts a lot of attention, puts the idea of travelling to that country in people's minds and also because there is so much money being spent on infrastructure,' he said. 'It means that places become a lot more attractive to tourists. ' Mr Tipton added that Athens, which hosted the 2004 Olympics, has now become one of the most popular city break destinations after the large-scale investments made in the city in preparation for hosting the games. The next Olympics in 2012 will be held in London, England.

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