中國遊客提振泰國經濟 Thai tourism: the Chinese keep coming
Strong demand by Chinese travellers for holidays in Thailand continues to boost the Thai tourism industry.
中國遊客對赴泰度假的強勁需求給泰國旅遊業帶來持續的提振。
Thanks to Chinese visitors, tourism has become the single biggest source of growth in the Thai economy, which would be locked in decline without it.
由於中國遊客的帶動，旅遊業已成爲泰國經濟增長的最大來源。若沒有這一動力，泰國經濟必定會下滑。
But the surge in visitor numbers is also putting visible strain on the country’s travel infrastructure.
但遊客人數激增也對泰國的旅遊基礎設施造成了明顯壓力。
The number of Chinese visitors swelled by more than 71 per cent last year, taking growth in overall arrivals to more than 20 per cent. Growth from all other visitor nations was just 8.8 per cent.
去年中國赴泰國旅遊人數上漲逾71%，推動泰國入境遊客人數整體增長逾20%。來自其他國家的入境遊客同比增長僅8.8%。
As a result, Thailand received a record 29.9m international tourists last year — the most ever to visit an Asian country with the exception of China itself — of which 7.9m came from mainland China, more than a quarter of the total.
結果去年泰國入境遊客人數創下2990萬的歷史紀錄，其中790萬來自中國內地，佔比逾四分之一。去年泰國的入境遊客人數還創下除中國外亞洲所有其他國家歷年來入境遊客人數之最。
Just five years earlier, China accounted for a mere 7.9 per cent of all arrivals.
而就在5年前，中國在泰國所有入境遊客中還僅佔7.9%。
However, the 2015 growth figures are inflated by a low-base effect: violent political protests in Bangkok scared away many tourists in 2014.
不過也要注意，2015年中國遊客人數的增長被低基數效應放大了——2014年曼谷的暴力政治抗議嚇跑了不少遊客。
Nevertheless, arrivals growth from China has continued to soar through the year-end peak season, with 29 per cent growth in December and 45 per cent in January.
儘管如此，中國赴泰遊客人數在年底旺季繼續飆升，去年12月增長了29%，今年1月增長45%。
The influx of Chinese tourists has been a big help to Thailand’s economy, which continues to be squeezed by falling exports, tepid consumption, weak commodity prices, and political instability. International tourism spending accounts for 11.4 per cent of gross domestic product and has become the economy’s most import source of growth.
泰國經濟持續承受着出口下降、消費疲弱、大宗商品價格走弱以及政治不穩定等因素的擠壓，中國遊客的涌入對泰國經濟起到了巨大幫助。入境外國遊客支出佔到泰國國內生產總值(GDP)的11.4%，已成爲泰國經濟最重要的增長來源。
GDP expanded 2.9 per cent in 2015 and would have grown just 0.6 per cent without the direct impact of foreign tourism spending. Without domestic tourism and the secondary impact from the tourism industry GDP growth would be near zero, according to FT Confidential Research, a research service.
2015年泰國GDP增長了2.9%，若剔除入境外國遊客支出的直接影響，則只有0.6%的增長。據英國《金融時報》旗下研究部門《投資參考》(FT Confidential Research)的數據，如果再剔除國內旅遊業的影響以及整個旅遊業的間接影響，泰國的GDP增長將接近於零。
Yet as hotel operators and souvenir hawkers rejoice, the swell in tourist arrivals has tested Thailand’s airports and transportation.
遊客人數的增長雖然讓酒店經營者和紀念品小販喜笑顏開，卻令泰國的機場和運輸經受了考驗。
Both international airports in Bangkok have suffered from ever-longer immigration and security queues. At Don Mueang, the smaller of the two airports, travellers complain of very long waits for taxis. Phuket International Airport, the country’s third busiest, has doubled its intended capacity of 6.5m passengers a year, though a long-overdue new terminal may finally open in a few months.
在曼谷的兩個國際機場，都出現了越來越長的入境和安檢隊伍，讓機場飽受壓力。在其中規模較小的廊曼機場(Don Mueang International Airport)，遊客抱怨等待出租車時間過長。普吉國際機場(Phuket International Airport)是泰國第三繁忙的機場，該機場的設計年客運吞吐量爲650萬人次，現在實際數字已翻了一番，不過，拖延已久的新航站樓可能會在幾個月後最終投入使用。
