(BEIJING, July 27) -- Numbers don't lie!

There has been a steady drumbeat of international tourists visiting the Olympic City - some two million already in just the first half of this year.

Global tourism markets including the USA, Japan and Korea are developing rapidly, with the number of tourists from America catching up with that of Korea.

More than 1.9 million people from abroad have visited Beijing -- a year-on-year increase of 11.0%. The number of international tourists has increased 11.9% while the number of those from Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macao has increased 5.6%.