Giving a twist to the downturn in tourism

Image by Getty Images via DaylifeSome of the more creative people in China I love to follow are the media spin masters in Beijing who have to find a positive spin on whatever is going wrong in China. Basic strategy: the government is dealing effectively with this big problem.
But for the ongoing downturn in the tourism industry, combined caused by Tibet uproar (and its closure for tourists), visa problems, the Beijing Olympics, pollution and the Sichuan earthquake, the China Daily has found a beautiful replacement. It is the competition, you stupid.
International hotel chains are still scrambling to get more hotels ready in the coming months:

Official statistics predict that during the 17-day event, more than 7 million travelers from home and abroad will visit Beijing for the Games and nearby tourist sites. Among them will be about 50,200 athletes, international workers, journalists, sponsors and their business clients who will be accommodated by 112 local hotels, including three-star hotels and above, appointed by The Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad (BOCOG) as the official host hotels.

But they are merely a tiny part of the mix. Most of the visitors mean enticingly big business for the Beijing hotels and what they are struggling for.

The story fits very nicely into a long history of spinning reality in China. This is going to be a historical piece for all it is not telling us.