Hosting the Olympics will help to boost tourism for Beijing, but only in the long term, the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) has claimed.
According to the group, the games do not attract the same volume of committed fans as a cricket tour or a rugby world cup, but it does put the spotlight on the nation holding the event and encourage people to travel to the country in the future.
Commenting recently, Sean Tipton, spokesperson for the ABTA, explained: "It's a wonderful way to showcase a country and what it's got to offer."
"It means that places become a lot more attractive to tourists."
He said that the UK is likely to enjoy larger visitor numbers in the years following the 2012 Olympic Games which are to be held in London.
According to VisitBritain, the games are likely to generate around £2 billion for the country's visitor economy, with nearly two-thirds of this expected to come in the four years following the event.
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