BEIJING -- A Chinese-English edition of first aid guidance has been issued to help foreign athletes and tourists at the forthcoming Beijing Olympics.

The brochure translates medical expressions on different types of allergies, diarrhoea and fever, and contains a map of hospitals and first aid centers in the Chinese capital.

In case of emergency, the brochure can also be used as an SOS sign, as the bright red color of its cover is easily seen.

Sources claim other seven-foreign-language versions of the pamphlet will be released during the Olympic Games in the summer.

Beijing has launched a series of campaigns to ensure food safety and the health and personal security of foreign athletes and tourists for the Games.

From January to May this year, local police will beef up campaigns against organized crime, robbery, murder and other severe criminal offences as well as collect illegally-held explosives, guns and ammunition, and strengthen control over bows and crossbows.

The police will also step up surveillance of entertainment venues to fight pornography and gambling, and remove safety hazards within 200 meters of Olympic venues.

The city expects to welcome more than 500,000 visitors from overseas during the games, with the largest daily visitor-inflow estimated at 300,000. It has 806 star-ranking tourist hotels offering 130,000 guest-rooms or 220,000 beds. Other public lodging houses and inns will serve another 646,000 beds.

Beijing is also expected to solicit around 1,000 local households as "Olympic Family Hotels" to receive foreign visitors in effort to increase the city's guest room supply.

Also, it is estimated that 450,000 tickets for this summer's Olympic Games have been allocated, accounting for about a quarter of the tickets available for sale in the second phase.

More than 700,000 orders for 4.2 million tickets were received, but only 123,000 bookings were confirmed after a computerized random draw.