More than 50 people were fined over the past week for spitting in the streets of Beijing and refusing to correct the bad habit, Xinhua news agency reported on Monday.

Beijing has outlawed spitting, queue-jumping, littering and other conduct likely to tarnish the city's image when it hosts next year's Olympics.

According to Xinhua, 56 people were fined for spitting during the week-long May Day holiday by five inspection teams patrolling the city.

The city government said earlier this year that spitters and litterers would face fines of up to 50 yuan (6.5 dollars).

Some two million Chinese and 550,000 foreigners are expected to visit Beijing during August next year, when the Olympics take place.

The Chinese out-of-towners are the biggest worry for the government.

While Beijing's 15 million residents have been subjected to a massive campaign to improve their conduct ahead of the Olympics, Chinese visitors from outside the city have missed out on the propaganda drive.

China's tourism administration is urging travel agents to demand better conduct from the out-of-towners.

"We are supposed to remind people constantly throughout the tour, and also lead an etiquette discussion at the end of the tour," Huang Xiaohui, a guide with a Beijing-based travel agency, was quoted as saying.

"The Olympics are coming, and we don't want to get disgraced."

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