Visitor numbers to the Himalayan nation grew strongly through the 1990s and 2000s — leaping from 385,000 in 2004 to 790,000 in 2014.But then came the April 2015 earthquake, killing almost 9,000 people, injuring 22,000 and leaving hundreds of thousands homeless.
從上世紀(jì)90年代初到本世紀(jì),造訪喜馬拉雅山麓國家尼泊爾的游客數(shù)目增長迅猛——從2004年的38.5萬飚升至2014年的79萬人。但2015年4月大地震不期而至,造成該國9000人死亡、2.2萬人受傷以及幾十萬人無家可歸。
After the rescue operations were completed, tourists found themselves in a quandary, anxious not to put added strain on resources, or seem insensitive, but also aware of the importance of tourism to the economy.Many decided to stay away: overall arrivals fell 32 per cent in 2015; the number of people visiting for trekking and mountaineering slumped 91 per cent.
抗震救災(zāi)工作結(jié)束后,游客們發(fā)現(xiàn)自己進(jìn)退維谷,一方面迫切不希望讓該國資源雪上加霜,又不想顯得無動(dòng)于衷,但也深感旅游業(yè)對(duì)該國經(jīng)濟(jì)舉足輕重。許多游客最終選擇“敬而遠(yuǎn)之”:結(jié)果2015年造訪游客數(shù)大降32%,徒步旅行與登山者更是驟降了91%。
“This year still felt too early to go back for many but 2017 will be the year to visit,” says Jarrod Kyte of Steppes Travel.Tim Greening of KE Adventure Travel agrees and reports that forward bookings are up 94 per cent compared with the same point last year.“The earthquake will never be forgotten, but next year tourism will be back to what it was in 2014, at least in the Annapurna and Everest regions,” he says.
“對(duì)很多游客來說,今年重回尼泊爾旅游仍言之過早,但今年將是旅游盛行之年。”Steppes Travel旅行社產(chǎn)品總監(jiān)Jarrod Kyte說。KE Adventure Travel旅行社負(fù)責(zé)人Tim Greening持同樣看法,并說游客預(yù)訂量同比去年增加了94%。“大地震會(huì)刻骨銘心,但明年尼泊爾的旅游業(yè)會(huì)恢復(fù)至2014年的水準(zhǔn),至少安納普爾納大環(huán)線(Annapurna)與珠峰(Everest)地區(qū)是如此,”他說。
Tourists will still see earthquake damage, says Greening, who returned from the country last month, but infrastructure, hotels and transport are all operating normally, and the Nepalis are eager to welcome visitors back.Beyond the post-earthquake recovery and the release of pent-up demand, Nepal's tourism prospects are also being boosted by an expanding offering of destinations and activities.
游客們?nèi)詴?huì)親睹大地震造成的巨大破壞,上月重返尼泊爾的Greening說,但基礎(chǔ)設(shè)施、酒店以及交通設(shè)施都已正常運(yùn)營,而尼泊爾國民也熱盼游客重返該國。除了震后重建與潛在需求釋放外,尼泊爾旅游業(yè)前景因不斷推出的新旅游目的地及旅游項(xiàng)目而看漲。
New roads have eased access, and where once tourists were strictly corralled into a handful of permitted trekking areas, there are now numerous routes across the country.Mustang, a remote district with a strong Tibetan culture, is tipped by the panel, and will see several more upmarket lodges opening in 2017.For those eager to see the Himalayas without walking, Steppes has a helicopter tour that visits the base camps of all eight of Nepal's 8,000m peaks.
新建公路使天塹變通途,游客過去只能進(jìn)入寥寥幾個(gè)徒步區(qū)域,如今徒步路線遍布尼泊爾全境。偏僻的藏族村落Mustang尤受我們的旅游專家小組青睞,2017年幾處高檔度假屋會(huì)投入運(yùn)營。對(duì)于那些渴望飽覽喜馬拉雅山雄姿的非徒步行游客來說,Steppes旅行社的直升機(jī)游項(xiàng)目可造訪尼全國8座8000以上高峰的所有營地。