Now that the Olympiad is drawing to a close, what is one to make of it all? There are many considerations and reflections to be had.
Associate Professor Victor Matheson [of economics at Holy Cross College in Worcester, Massachusetts] puts forward his views on the Games and what they mean, overall, to China and the world, in an op-ed piece in IHT:
"For the past two weeks, the world's attention has been focused on China, and the country has used the Olympic Games as an opportunity to announce its arrival as a major political and economic power. At a cost of $40 billion, however, the Beijing Olympics represent the most expensive coming-out party in history, and the question remains whether China will earn a decent return on its investment.
Despite their success on the playing fields, the event has been an economic disaster for the Chinese. The anticipated influx of tourists has not materialized, and despite "selling every ticket" many venues are half full. Indeed, Beijing's tourism bureau predicts that the total number of visitors to the city this month will be virtually unchanged from the figures from the previous August. Sports fans have crowded out regular visitors during what is normally a busy tourist season, and strict security measures have scared away other potential guests."
Yet....
"In one sense, however, these Games have been an unqualified success. The Olympics have instilled a sense of pride in the Chinese people, over 80 percent of whom report that they believe the country "is on the right track." An astounding 93 percent of Chinese surveyed by the Pew Research Center thought that the Games would improve the country's image. Certainly the feel-good effect of the Olympics should not be dismissed lightly. But will the positive feeling remain as the Chinese people dig themselves out from under the $40 billion price tag?"
Read on, here. Incidentally, the figure for the all up costs of the Games quoted on ABC Radio National this morning was $80 billion.
Associate Professor Victor Matheson [of economics at Holy Cross College in Worcester, Massachusetts] puts forward his views on the Games and what they mean, overall, to China and the world, in an op-ed piece in IHT:
"For the past two weeks, the world's attention has been focused on China, and the country has used the Olympic Games as an opportunity to announce its arrival as a major political and economic power. At a cost of $40 billion, however, the Beijing Olympics represent the most expensive coming-out party in history, and the question remains whether China will earn a decent return on its investment.
Despite their success on the playing fields, the event has been an economic disaster for the Chinese. The anticipated influx of tourists has not materialized, and despite "selling every ticket" many venues are half full. Indeed, Beijing's tourism bureau predicts that the total number of visitors to the city this month will be virtually unchanged from the figures from the previous August. Sports fans have crowded out regular visitors during what is normally a busy tourist season, and strict security measures have scared away other potential guests."
Yet....
"In one sense, however, these Games have been an unqualified success. The Olympics have instilled a sense of pride in the Chinese people, over 80 percent of whom report that they believe the country "is on the right track." An astounding 93 percent of Chinese surveyed by the Pew Research Center thought that the Games would improve the country's image. Certainly the feel-good effect of the Olympics should not be dismissed lightly. But will the positive feeling remain as the Chinese people dig themselves out from under the $40 billion price tag?"
Read on, here. Incidentally, the figure for the all up costs of the Games quoted on ABC Radio National this morning was $80 billion.
Comments
well, i guess if they didn't make getting/extending a visa so difficult, even for family members of olympics athletes, they might have had a greater "influx."
i was watching the boxing matches the other night and the father of one of the gold medalists wasn't able to be there because he couldn't get his visa changed.