Organizing the Olympics is no mean feat. But it is also a big money maker for the tourist office.

However in Beijing more the half of the rooms in 4 star hotels are still not booked while the Tourist Administration claims it was to be expected and it has nothing to do with the new visa policies.

The head of the Beijing Tourist Administration suggested that it also might be due to a number of reasons – freak weather and earthquakes, security threats and unrest in the Tibetan area.

But the process of issuing visas has been tightened and while many officials claim it is to make sure the security is top notch so that the competitors are not in danger, one has to wonder – if a new World record is set and there are no spectators to see it, did it really happen?