The city of Beijing saw a sharp drop in overseas visitors in April, likely reflecting the impact of a new Olympics-related visa crackdown in recent weeks, the citys statistics bureau said this week.

According to official estimates, 385,000 overseas visitors came to Beijing in April, a 5.3% decline from April 2007 that has taken some experts by surprise as the Chinese capital readies itself for Augusts Olympic Games. The numbers dont appear to differentiate between those on business and travel visas.

Perhaps even more surprising was the acknowledgment that the decline was probably driven by the governments unexpected tightening of visa restrictions in early April. Initially, officials seemed to deny that visas were being curtailed at all, before they reversed course and called the new measures a temporary move to allay Olympics-related safety concerns.

The statistics bureau said Tuesday that in addition to the new visa restrictions, a strengthening yuan and rising travel prices also contributed to the decline, the official Xinhua news agency reported.

Inbound travel from the Chinese special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau -- representing nearly one-tenth of overseas travelers to Beijing -- was down 30% from April 2007, the bureau said. Significant drops in April also came from the U.S., Japan and South Korea, the bureau said, witnessing falls of 17.2%, 24.4% and 11% respectively, from a year earlier.

Katharine Fok, a regional manager for luxury travel agency Abercrombie & Kent in Hong Kong, blamed the new visa restrictions for tamping down demand for travel to China. Because of visa uncertainty, Ms. Fok said, "we have all our clients book early, pay us early and allow enough time for hassles." While business travelers are willing to bear the new rules, or have little choice, some leisure travelers may simply be choosing other destinations, she added.