VOA慢速英語：政治危機傷及斯里蘭卡旅游業(yè)

Political Crisis Hurting Sri Lankan Tourism Industry

政治危機傷及斯里蘭卡旅游業(yè)

The month of December usually marks the beginning of tourism season in Sri Lanka. Visitors come to the Indian Ocean island nation to enjoy its beaches, historic places, interesting nature and tasty food.

12月通常標志著斯里蘭卡旅游旺季的開始。游客們來到這個印度洋上的島國，享受這里的沙灘、歷史名勝、有趣的自然風(fēng)景以及美味的食物。

Tourism represents about 5 percent of the country's $87-billion economy.

旅游業(yè)占到了該國870億美元經(jīng)濟規(guī)模的5%左右。

But Sri Lanka's current political environment is keeping visitors away. Observers are worried about the possible economic effects.

但是斯里蘭卡目前的政治環(huán)境讓游客們望而卻步。觀察家們對可能產(chǎn)生的經(jīng)濟影響表示擔心。

In late October, Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena dismissed the country's prime minister and appointed a new government. The move came as a surprise.

10月下旬，斯里蘭卡總統(tǒng)西里塞納解除了該國總理的職務(wù)，并任命了一個新政府，此舉令人驚訝。

Mahinda Rajapaksa, who replaced Ranil Wickremesinghe as prime minister, lacks a parliamentary majority. A Sri Lankan court has prevented Rajapaksa from taking power. Violence has broken out in parliament and the 2019 national budget has been delayed.

取代維克勒馬辛哈成為總理的拉賈帕克薩缺乏議會多數(shù)席位的支持。斯里蘭卡一家法院已經(jīng)阻止拉賈帕克薩上臺。議會爆發(fā)了暴力事件，2019年的國家預(yù)算被推遲。

High season for travelers to Sri Lanka usually runs from December to March. Most visitors come from Europe, India and China. But many trips are being canceled, especially among Europeans. The Reuters news agency received that information from someone at the national Sri Lankan airlines. The person asked not to be identified.

斯里蘭卡的旅游旺季通常從12月到來年3月，大多數(shù)游客來自歐洲、印度和中國。但是很多行程都被取消了，特別是歐洲游客。路透社從國有的斯里蘭卡航空公司的工作人員那里得到了這些信息，該人要求不透露身份。

The person told Reuters that, "The crisis started just when tourists take a decision where to go...It has discouraged many of them."

該人士告訴路透社，“這場危機爆發(fā)正值游客們決定去哪旅游的時候，這讓很多人打起了退堂鼓。”

Chandra Mohotti is manager of the high-end Galle Face Hotel in the Sri Lankan capital of Colombo. She said that 20 percent of planned visits to the area have been canceled. She said that normally, the 200-room hotel would be filled at this time of year. But instead, the hotel has been forced to offer low-cost rates to appeal to tourists.

Chandra Mohotti是斯里蘭卡首都科倫坡的高端酒店Galle Face Hotel 的經(jīng)理。她說20%到該地區(qū)旅游的計劃已經(jīng)被取消。她說通常情況下，這家200間客房的酒店在一年當中的這個時候應(yīng)該爆滿。但是恰恰相反，為了吸引游客，酒店被迫提供了低折扣。

The crisis has also affected business travel. Sanath Ukwatte, president of the Hotels Association of Sri Lanka, said some companies have chosen to move their planned events to Singapore, Indonesia and other places in Southeast Asia.

這次危機也影響到了商務(wù)旅行。斯里蘭卡酒店協(xié)會會長Sanath Ukwatte表示，一些公司已經(jīng)將它們的計劃活動改到了新加坡、印尼和東南亞其它地區(qū)。

Harith Perera is president of the Sri Lanka Association of Inbound Tour Operators. He said if the current situation continues, the economic effects "will be significant."

哈里斯·佩雷拉(Harith Perera)是斯里蘭卡入境旅游運營商協(xié)會的主席。他說，如果現(xiàn)狀持續(xù)下去，造成的經(jīng)濟影響將會“非常顯著。”

More than 2.1 million people visited Sri Lanka in 2017, tourism officials say.

旅游官員表示，2017年有超過210萬人到斯里蘭卡旅游。

I'm Ashley Thompson.

阿什利·湯普森報道。