经济学人:区域旅游业 用船把他们带进来

搜索关注在线英语听力室公众号：tingroom，领取免费英语资料大礼包。

　　区域旅游业

　　Importing them by the shipload

　　用船把他们带进来

　　Attracting tourists to Britain's regions will get tougher as the economy grows

　　英国经济有所好转，吸引游客却变困难

　　IN THE harbour at Portsmouth, the din¹ of shipbuilding competes for attention with the thumping² feet of tourists in its historic docks. Just metres away from sailors and shipwrights³ maintaining the Royal Navy's latest vessels⁴, visitors jostle on the decks of the tiny wooden HMS Victory, searching for the spot where Lord Nelson died in battle in 1805. But with traditional shipbuilding in decline, Portsmouth hopes its burgeoning⁵ attractions can take up the slack. The numbers of people looking at its dockyard have risen in the past year, and a smart new museum to house the Mary Rose, a salvaged⁶ Tudor warship⁷, opened in May 2013.

　　在朴茨茅斯的港口，造船的喧嚣声与游客们在这个历史悠久的码头上的脚步声齐鸣。而开船者和造船者几米开外，就是英国皇家海军的最新轮船，参观的人群推搡着涌向小小的木质胜利号的甲板，搜寻着纳尔逊勋爵在1805年战死的地点。但传统的造船技术正在衰退，朴茨茅斯希望这一新兴的景点能够阻止衰退。来造船厂参观的游客在去年有所增加，而且一座漂亮的新博物馆于2013年5月面向公众开放，新博物馆陈列了玛丽玫瑰号，她是一条被打捞上岸的都铎式战舰。

　　New research published on November 21st by Deloitte, a consultancy, has raised hopes that tourism can helpBritain's regions reduce their reliance on other industries. It predicts that the sector⁸ will grow by 3.8% a year between now and 2025—much faster than manufacturing, retail⁹ or construction. Tourism, it says, has beenBritain's fastest-growing employment sector since 2010. Unusually, northernEngland,Wales, and ruralScotland—areas which otherwise struggle to attract new businesses—have recently seen particularly strong job growth.

　　咨询公司德勒于11月21日发表了一项新的研究报告，显示旅游业有希望帮助英国减少对其它产业的依赖。这份研究报告预测，从现在到2025年，旅游业将会每年将会上涨3.8%，比制造业、零售业和建筑业快多了。报告显示，旅游业自2010年起，就已经是英国发展最快的雇工部门。奇怪的是，英格兰北部、威尔士和苏格兰农村这些地区却反而努力吸引新的企业-格外强劲的就业增长在近期初见端倪。

　　But places likePortsmouthwill need to attract more foreigners to keep up the current rate of growth. Deloitte forecasts that the amount international visitors spend will grow by over 6% a year, nearly twice as fast as for the domestic holidaymakers most regions currently rely on.Portsmouthis already trying to drum up more sightseers from abroad. In the same week that BAE, a defence contractor¹⁰, announced 940 job losses at its shipyard in the city, Brittany Ferries and VisitBritain, which promotes tourism, launched a ￡3m($4.8m) advertising¹¹ campaign to get the French to frequent Portsmouth and its surroundings in greater numbers.

　　但想朴茨茅斯这类的地区，还需要吸引更多的外国游客从而跟上现在的增长率。德勒预测，国际游客消费的数量将会以每年超过6%的速度增长，几乎是现在大部分地区目前依靠的国内游客消费的两倍。朴茨茅斯已经准备好吸引更多的国外游客。同一周，国防承包商BAE在其市内造船厂宣布裁员940人，而布列塔尼轮渡和英国旅游局为促进旅游业，投入300万英镑（约合480万美元）的广告宣传，以吸引越来越多的法国人出入朴茨茅斯一带。

　　This task may prove more difficult than Deloitte's report suggests. Getting foreigners to venture beyondLondonis already hard. The capital now accounts for over 53% of their total spending inBritain, a figure that has held steady since the Olympics last year.Portsmouth's grimy centre has also struggled to attract non-Britons. According to Brittany Ferries, only 17% of its car-ferry traffic originates fromFrance. Many drive through without stopping.

　　这任务或许比德勒报告中预计的难度更大。让外国旅客绕过伦敦难度已经非常之大。现如今，首都伦敦占据英国总开支的53%，这个数据在去年伦敦奥运会期间也依旧保持稳定。朴茨茅斯脏兮兮的市中心也同样在努力争取非英国人。根据布列塔尼轮渡的数据，只有17%的汽车轮渡交通来自法国。许多人都是走过路过然后错过。

　　Recovery elsewhere inBritain's economy may also hamper¹² the growth of regional tourism. The industry fears the weakness of the pound this summer will not last, as a run of good economic news buoys¹³ up its value. Hotels and attractions on the south coast already fear that this will reduce overseas bookings next year. Likewise, a strong pound has rekindled¹⁴ enthusiasm among Britons for holidays abroad. Many parts ofEast Angliaand the south-west have lost over 5% of their jobs in tourism since 2010; people who used to visit are jetting off to warmer climes instead. Although foreign tourists may bring welcome cash toBritain's struggling regions, persuading Britons to keep holidaying at home will be uphill work.Portsmouth's wind- and rainswept docks this week suggested that any attraction may be strictly¹⁵ seasonal¹⁶.

　　英国的经济复苏也会同时束缚区域旅游业。旅游业担心英镑的疲软在今夏就会结束，因为英镑重振雄风是个好消息。但南岸的宾馆和旅游景点已经担心这将会减少下一年的海外预定。同时，坚挺的英镑重燃了英国民众到国外度假的信心。东安格利亚的部分地区和英国西南部自2010年起就丢失了超过5%的旅游业职位；过去的常客转而乘飞机去了更温暖的地方。即使国外游客会给英国苦苦挣扎的地区带来经济收益，这也很难让英国人相信宅在家度假很费劲。朴茨茅斯港口这周的风和雨水显示了任何景点都有严格的季节性。

　　1.search for 搜索，搜寻

　　例句:The search for my brother widened.

　　对我弟弟的搜索范围扩大了。

　　2.take up 采取

　　例句:I know how busy you must be and naturally I wouldn't want to take up too much of your time.

　　我知道您肯定特别忙，我当然不想占用您太多的时间。

　　3.struggle to 挣扎

　　例句:Even the most intrepid¹⁷ World Cup fan will struggle to watch all48 first-round matches.

　　即使是世界杯最铁杆的球迷，要将首轮48场比赛一气看完，绝对是费心劳神的事。

　　4.need to 需要

　　例句:Most people recognise the need to pay a golden hello to attract the best.

　　大多数人都认识到需要用高额聘金来吸引精英人才。

分享到：