Beijing saw 367,000 overseas visitors in the first two months this year, up 17.2 percent over the corresponding period last year, according to the Beijing Municipal Tourism Administration.

Visitors from foreign countries and regions reached 294,000 in the two-month period, a year-on-year rise of 19.1 percent; 47,000 visitors came from Hong Kong, up 11.2 percent, 1,000 from Macao, adrop of 31.3 percent, and 25,000 from Taiwan, a rise of 12 percent.

Japan, the Republic of Korea and the United States are China's leading tourists source countries, local tourism officials said.

(Xinhua News Agency March 19, 2005)