New Web Site for Olympics Tourists in Beijing

BEIJING, July 16 (Xinhua) -- A Beijing municipal government-run website was launched Wednesday to help worldwide athletes, referees, officials, journalists and tourists easily find restaurants, shopping centers and entertainment venues during the Olympics period.

The website, www.bj2008guide.com, offers in Chinese and English languages information about 2,066 restaurants, 855 shops, chemists and supermarkets, 90 museums, 49 cinemas, 116 fitness centers and 227 bars.

Tourists can also find information about 31 Olympic venues and 112 star-rated Olympic hotels.

In addition, the website operator, the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Commerce, recommends 22 distinctive business streets in Beijing, such as gallery street, tea street and antique street.

About 2 million domestic tourists and 450,000 overseas tourists are expected to visit Beijing during the Olympic Games period, according to the forecasts by the Games organizer and Beijing municipal tourism bureau.