While the Olympics will briefly stimulate the tourism-based sections of the Chinese economy, analysts are unsure if China’s economy will see any overall economic benefits from the Olympics. From BBC News:
With China’s economy running, leaping and jumping ahead, it seems logical to assume that hosting the Olympic games in August will provide another commercial stride forward.
Thousands of tourists will flood into the country for the games in Beijing. Hotels will be filled and millions will be spent on tickets, consumer goods and souvenirs.
But for every success of the type experienced by Seoul, which brought its brands to a world market, or Barcelona, which boosted its tourist profile, there are the more recent examples of Sydney and Athens, which both saw post-Olympic economic slowdowns.
So, despite the impressive pre-game statistics, will the Chinese economy be gold-medallists or also-rans come August?