China's tourism industry  in 2008

   Olympic Games has a lasting impact on the tourism industry of the host country, and the benefits would come after the Games, said Ken Kelling, communications director of Visit London, the official visitor organisation for the host city of 2012 Olympic Games.

According to a forecast released by Visit London Thursday, the tourism industry in London is set to gain 2 billion pounds from the 2012 Games with half of the benefit delivered between 2012 and2017.

China is still unfamiliar to many foreigners and the Olympic Games would be a great chance to showcase the country's culture and development, said Cristina Lambiase, an officer with the Italian Government Tourist Board.

The country would be more attractive to foreign tourists when they know more about it, she said.

The country is expected to become the world's largest tourism destination by 2015. Its tourism earnings hit 1.09 trillion yuan (155.7 billion yuan) in 2007, up 22.6 percent year on year.