英闻天下——323 China's Outbound Tourism Booms

 　　The recent Chinese Spring Festival, a seven-day-holiday, was a golden period for outbound travel as well as a good start to this year's expected growth in the travel industry.

 

　　Zhou Jingnan has some insights¹.

 

　　A survey by the China Tourism Academy indicates that more than three quarters of those interviewed said they were willing to travel during the Spring Festival.

 

　　Among them, the number of travelers that might go abroad was expected to reach 8 million during the holiday.

 

　　Asian countries or islands are popular among the Chinese.

 

　　Li Zhongguang with the China Tourism Academy elaborates.

 

　　"Outbound travel destinations are mainly in East Asia, like Japan and South Korea, and Southeast Asia, including Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand. Europe and the United States are popular to some extent. The Maldives, Bali and Phuket Island are also attractive for Chinese travelers."

 

　　For example, South Korea's tourism administration reported that about 63,000 Chinese tourists came to the country during the holiday period.

 

　　The Tourism Authority of Thailand estimates that around 100,000 Chinese travelers visited Thailand during holiday, generating² revenue³ of 1.4 billion U.S. dollars for the country.

 

　　Suraphon Svetasreni, Governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, says the Chinese Spring Festival is a highlight for international travelers as well as a business opportunity for tourism in Thailand.

 

　　"It would be a really good value-added for international tourists who come during the Chinese Spring Festival, because we are going to stage some performances and entertainment. And also, there will be food, there will be fun, and some activities. So I think even though they are non-Chinese, they can really enjoy the time, which is also celebrating the Spring Festival."

 

　　In 2004, China and the EU signed the Approved Destination Status, or ADS, Memorandum⁴ of Understanding, making EU countries destinations for outbound visits by Chinese tourists. Since then, the number of Chinese tourists visiting EU countries has been growing, and their manner of travel has changed as well.

 

　　Liu Cheng is director of China's National Tourism Administration's office in Rome.

 

　　"We have seen big changes since 2004. At the beginning, Chinese tourists would like to visit a couple of EU countries in one trip, but now they like visiting only one country for several days, like five or six days only in Italy, Switzerland or France. They also like shopping or traveling on cruises⁵. Their travel style has changed."

 

　　Francesca Rovati from the public relations department at Switzerland Tourism agrees.

 

　　"There are more and more Chinese tourists coming to Switzerland to travel. They like skiing now and are not limited to sightseeing or city tours."

 

　　The development of outbound travel has demanded transportation support. Air Mauritius opened direct flights from Shanghai to Mauritius in January, shaving six hours off the previous flight time. The flights have attracted many Chinese travelers.

 

　　Cao Yin with China Travel Service's head office in Beijing explains why Africa is good travel destination.

 

　　"In Africa, travelers will find different cultures and beliefs. The customs, animals and environment in Africa are quite different from those in Asia."

 

　　Chinese tourists have advantages in quantity and purchasing power, and their travels to other parts of the world are not only for fun. The huge business opportunities and benefits that go with them are also important to the destination countries or regions.

1 insights   

洞察力( insight的名词复数 )； 洞悉； 领悟； 顿悟

参考例句：

• This is a book full of profound, original and challenging insights. 这本书充满了深刻、新颖、令人深思的见解。
• Because his judgement was prudent, his insights were central to any consultation. 因为他考虑问题很慎重，所以他的意见在每次磋商时都最受重视。

2 generating   

n.发生，产生v.生（儿、女）( generate的现在分词 )；（通过物理或化学过程）发生；生成；引起

参考例句：

• There are many ways of generating a two-dimensional representation of an object. 有很多制作物体二维图的方法。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Generating functions are an ideal tool for studying sequences defined by recurrence. 母函数是研究用递推关系来确定的函数的最理想工具。 来自辞典例句

3 revenue   

n.总收入，财政收入，税收；税务局

参考例句：

• The country diminished the revenue by reducing tax.这个国家通过减税而使税收减少了。
• A government's revenue and expenditure should be balanced.政府的财政收入和支出要平衡。

4 memorandum   

n.备忘录，便笺

参考例句：

• The memorandum was dated 23 August,2008.备忘录上注明的日期是2008年8月23日。
• The Secretary notes down the date of the meeting in her memorandum book.秘书把会议日期都写在记事本上。

5 cruises   

v.乘船巡游( cruise的第三人称单数 )；以快而平稳的速度长距离行驶；巡航；轻而易举赢得（或获得）

参考例句：

• Cruises on the Thames in London, have become an annual attraction. 在伦敦泰晤士河上的巡航已成为一年一度的引人注目的事。 来自辞典例句
• Throughout the year traders and recruiters arrive from far, dry cruises. 一年到头，总有商人和募工者经过干渴的长途航行来到这里。 来自辞典例句