Prior to the Games , officials anticipated two million tourists , of which one-third would be from overseas . However , actual volume of visitors fell 9.2 % year-on-year . Chinese officials cited the Sichuan earthquake , riots in Tibet , torch relay protests and the subprime mortgage crisis as factors . Locally , many people anticipated that Beijing would be too crowded during the Games . Businesses avoided scheduling meetings during these two weeks , and potential Chinese visitors decided to stay at home and watch the events on TV
Sichuan earthquake
2008 Sichuan earthquake
Concerns and controversies at the 2008 Summer Olympics