With 22 days to go before the opening ceremonies, h/st1 :city>ere's a quick look at some of the biggest expectations and more realistic outcomes for these Olympics:/span>
Expectation: Beijing/st1 :city> will host an unprecedented number of foreign tourists during the Games./span>
Reality: The Foreign Ministry expects between 400,000 and 450,000 tourists during the Games, which isn't drastically different than the 420,000 it normally receives during the month of August. On the surface, this doesn't seem too favorable for the hotel and tourism industry, which has invested heavily in building and renovating hotels for the Olympics. /span>
Looking at the big picture, however, the cost for an average hotel room has skyrocketed, so even if they have the capacity of last year they're fine. Beyond that, business opportunities in China/st1 :country-region> aren't going away any time soon, even with tighter visa restrictions. /span>
Expectation: Foreign journalists will have free reign throughout China/st1 :country-region>/span>
Reality: One word: Tibet/st1 :country-region>. Like it or not, Chinese and Western journalists simply won't have unlimited access covering the Olympics this summer. Compromises have been made, like permitting live shots from Tiananmen Square but the ongoing tension between journalists and the authorities will keep going strong. /span>
Expectation: The world will rally behind China/st1 :country-region>'s efforts and support Games wholeheartedly./span>
Reality: The Olympic torch relay didn't quite go off without a hitch, and much of the foreign reaction to the March protests in Tibetdidn't quite endear China/st1 :country-region> to the rest of the world. On the other hand, the international response to the Sichuan/st1 :state> earthquake has been extremely positive, and an unprecedented 80 heads of state will attend the opening ceremonies, not to mention a host of leaders from multinational corporations. /span>
The extensive Olympic marketing teams from many of these sponsors like McDonalds, NBC, or Coca-Cola have also launched an all-out charm campaign, so come August, we'll be craving Olympic harmony and believe the slogan of "One World, One Dream."/span>
Expectation: Protesters and boycotts will be out in full-force./span>
Reality: There will always be people protesting something about China/st1 :country-region>, and the Olympics have ignited some protesting passion. Over the past month, local villagers set fire to government offices after the Weng'an riots in Guizhou Province, another group of 100 villagers protested the death of a man allegedly beaten by officials in Guangdong Province, and that's not even getting into many of the internationally orchestrated protests by groups like Amnesty International and Save Darfur./span>
On the other hand, while these human rights groups and the NGO community will continue making their voices heard, it seems that many heads of state haven't been listening. Despite criticisms of China/st1 :country-region>'s human rights, there haven't been any large-scale boycotts of the Olympics, and all things considered, the biggest potential boycotts were of Chinese citizens boycotting Carrefour, or CNN./span>
Expectation: Chinaspan style="font-size: 9pt; font-family: Arial"> and the U.S./st1 :country-region> are the two countries to beat in terms of the overall medal count./span>
Reality: This expectation remains true, but we'll know much more after the Games begin. In any case, we can look forward to riveting athletic competition and arguably the most impressive Olympic Games in history./span>
