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(单词翻译:双击或拖选)
Hong Kong is a tourist's paradise. It's a city famous for world-class shopping, buzzing nightlife and fabulous1 restaurants — It also has a reputation for safety.
But for the last three months, it hasn't felt like that.
Since June, Hong Kong has been in turmoil2. Its streets have been flooded with anti-government protesters — and violence and chaos3 have followed.
Its public transport systems have been paralysed, and its airport — one of the biggest aviation hubs in the world — has been forced to cancel hundreds of flights.
Perhaps none of Hong Kong's core business sectors4 has been harder than tourism, an industry that employs more than a quarter million people. Some of the statistics are staggering:
Tourist arrivals in Hong Kong are down at least 30% since June with the number expected to increase.
Meanwhile, tourist arrivals from Chinese mainland have dropped by nearly 50% in August.
Michael Tsang, founder5 of Hong Kong Free Tours, says his business has taken a hit.
"So for the months of June and July business is actually flat compared to last year, but for August business is down around 20-30 percent but compared to some of our friends in the industry where they serve more Chinese tourists, those players in the market are probably down I would say 70 to even 90 per cent."
And what changes are you making to adapt?
"Well because of the type of tour we do, we are actually here to educate people more, so we find this time is even more important to tell our guests the story of what has happened to Hong Kong. So because of that even more we feel we have to invest in the future of our business."
Hong Kong is of course famous for its vibrant6 and exciting night life with a seemingly endless supply of bars and restaurants which are huge drivers of the local economy. Live music and performance, too, are synonymous with Hong Kong.
Formally LA-based performer Nicole Claspell who after a national tour in the USA and stints7 in Las Vegas is performing at a five star hotel in the heart of central Hong Kong.
"There has been a noticeable drop off in patronage8 and people coming out and hotel occupancy I think all around Hong Kong has been down 50 per cent even as low as down to 30 percent occupancy this past week, so there will be times midweek and even on weekends when we are expecting our biggest crowds where I'll be singing for maybe a handful of people maybe four or five people."
Tourism generates $17 billion US for Hong Kong's GDP, if the protests and unrest continues there's no question that figure will drop.
For CRI, this is Eugene Benson.
香港是旅游的天堂。这座城市以世界级购物中心、热闹的夜生活和美妙的餐厅而闻名。同时,香港还享有安全城市的美誉。
但在过去的三个月里,香港给人的感觉并不是这样的。
香港自六月份以来一直处于动荡之中。香港街头上全是反政府抗议者,这导致暴力和混乱随之而来。
香港的公共交通系统已经陷入瘫痪,其机场——世界上其中一个最大的航空枢纽——已被迫取消数百个航班。
也许香港其他核心商业领域的情况都没有旅游业艰难,香港旅游业从业人员超过25万人。一些统计数字令人震惊。
自6月以来,香港的游客人数至少下降了30%,预计下降幅度还将继续加大。
与此同时,8月份以来中国大陆的游客人数下降了近50%。
香港自由行的创始人Michael Tsang说,他的生意受到了冲击。
“6月和7月的业务与去年相比实际上是持平的,但8月份的业务量下降了约20&-30%,但与业内一些为更多内地游客服务的朋友相比,我估计市场上这些参与者的业务量可能会下降70%甚至90%。”
你做出了哪些改变以应对这种情况?
“因为我们的旅游类型实际上更多是在教育人们,我们发现这个时机更重要的是告诉我们的客人香港所发生的事情。因此,我们认为我们必须在我们业务的未来发展上投资更多。”
香港以其充满活力和令人兴奋的夜生活而闻名,酒吧和餐饮看似无穷无尽,是当地经济的巨大推动力。现场音乐和表演也是香港的代名词。
洛杉矶的正式表演者妮可·克拉斯佩尔在美国举行全国巡回演出并在拉斯维加斯演出后,现在正在香港中心区的一家五星级酒店演出。
“赞助人数和出游人数明显下降,我认为香港各地的酒店入住率已经下降了50%,甚至低于上周30%的入住率,有时周三甚至是周末,我们预计观众人数最多也就只有少数人,可能四五个人左右。”
旅游业为香港的国内生产总值创造了170亿美元的收入,如果抗议和骚乱持续下去,毫无疑问这一收入将会下降。
CRI新闻,尤金·本森报道。
1 fabulous | |
adj.极好的;极为巨大的;寓言中的,传说中的 | |
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2 turmoil | |
n.骚乱,混乱,动乱 | |
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3 chaos | |
n.混乱,无秩序 | |
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4 sectors | |
n.部门( sector的名词复数 );领域;防御地区;扇形 | |
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5 Founder | |
n.创始者,缔造者 | |
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6 vibrant | |
adj.震颤的,响亮的,充满活力的,精力充沛的,(色彩)鲜明的 | |
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7 stints | |
n.定额工作( stint的名词复数 );定量;限额;慷慨地做某事 | |
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8 patronage | |
n.赞助,支援,援助;光顾,捧场 | |
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