泰國(guó)對(duì)中國(guó)等國(guó)游客上調(diào)落地簽證費(fèi)

Deadly bomb blasts in Thai tourist resort areas have failed to deter the country’s military rulers from raising entry fees for holidaymakers from 19 countries and territories, including China.

泰國(guó)旅游度假區(qū)發(fā)生的致命炸彈爆炸事件未能阻止該國(guó)軍事統(tǒng)治者對(duì)來自19個(gè)國(guó)家和地區(qū)(包括中國(guó))的游客上調(diào)簽證費(fèi)。

The decision to press ahead with plans to double visa-on-arrival costs to 2,000 baht ($58) has generated mixed reviews, with some commentators arguing it will undermine efforts to shore up confidence in a rare growth industry in the stuttering economy.

按計(jì)劃把落地簽證費(fèi)翻倍至2000泰銖(合58美元)的決定，引發(fā)了褒貶不一的評(píng)論，有些評(píng)論人士提出，旅游是泰國(guó)增長(zhǎng)乏力的經(jīng)濟(jì)中一個(gè)難得的成長(zhǎng)型行業(yè)，而此舉將破壞提振對(duì)該行業(yè)信心的努力。

The tariff changes widen the disparity between Chinese holidaymakers and western counterparts who can still visit for free, even though the doubling of Thailand’s tourist numbers in six years has been driven by China.

上調(diào)簽證費(fèi)將擴(kuò)大中國(guó)游客與仍可免費(fèi)入境的西方游客之間的差距，盡管赴泰國(guó)的游客人數(shù)在六年內(nèi)翻一番是由中國(guó)這個(gè)客源國(guó)推動(dòng)的。

The higher charges appear to reflect official ambivalence in Bangkok towards a sector that has delivered income during political turbulence but is putting increasing strain on infrastructure.

上調(diào)費(fèi)用似乎反映了泰國(guó)官方對(duì)旅游業(yè)的矛盾心理，該行業(yè)在泰國(guó)政治動(dòng)蕩時(shí)期帶來了收入，但正給基礎(chǔ)設(shè)施帶來越來越大的壓力。

Chanapan Klaewklachyawut, secretary-general of the Thai-Chinese Tourism Alliance Association, said: “This extra charge is not much for Chinese tourists. If they can’t even afford this amount, how will they have enough money to spend on travelling in Thailand?”

泰中旅游同業(yè)公會(huì)(Thai-Chinese Tourism Alliance Association)秘書長(zhǎng)Chanapan Klaewklachyawut表示：“這筆額外費(fèi)用對(duì)中國(guó)游客不算多。如果他們連這筆錢都負(fù)擔(dān)不起，他們?cè)谔﹪?guó)旅游期間還會(huì)有足夠的錢花銷嗎?”

The Thai government announced last week that the new charges would come into force next month, weeks after bomb attacks across tourist resorts in south Thailand killed four people and wounded dozens more, some of them foreigners.

泰國(guó)政府上周宣布，新的簽證費(fèi)標(biāo)準(zhǔn)將在下月生效實(shí)施。就在幾周前，泰國(guó)南方的幾個(gè)旅游度假勝地遭遇多起炸彈襲擊，導(dǎo)致4人遇難，數(shù)十人受傷，其中一些是外國(guó)人。

The fees lift Thailand out of the bracket of visas-on-arrival for $40 or less charged by other Southeast Asian holiday-maker destinations, such as Cambodia and Indonesia.

上調(diào)簽證費(fèi)使泰國(guó)退出了東南亞收取40美元或以下落地簽證費(fèi)(如柬埔寨和印尼)的旅游國(guó)家行列。

Some Thai commentators have questioned both the decision to raise the prices and the timing of the announcement, which follow approval by the military-dominated cabinet earlier this year.

泰國(guó)一些評(píng)論人士質(zhì)疑提高簽證費(fèi)的決定，也質(zhì)疑宣布這一決定的時(shí)機(jī)，此前軍方主導(dǎo)的內(nèi)閣在今年早些時(shí)候批準(zhǔn)了此舉。

The Bangkok Post newspaper this week condemned the “outrageous” change as “out of sync with every other current tourist policy”, particularly as Taiwan, one of the other territories affected, has just scrapped its visa requirement for Thai tourists.

《曼谷郵報(bào)》(Bangkok Post)本周譴責(zé)這一“離譜”的變動(dòng)，稱其“與其它每一項(xiàng)現(xiàn)行旅游政策不合拍”，尤其是臺(tái)灣這個(gè)受影響的地區(qū)之一剛剛?cè)∠酸槍?duì)泰國(guó)游客的簽證要求。

The increases are particularly striking because China has provided almost half the more than 15m extra arrivals that have lifted Thailand’s foreign tourism visitor numbers from 14.15m in 2009 to 29.88m last year. The boom is apparent in the snaking queues at Bangkok’s Don Mueang airport for taxi ranks and at immigration desks that proclaim the official policy of “Good guys in, bad guys out”.

令簽證費(fèi)上漲格外引人注目的是，中國(guó)提供了過去六年逾1500萬新增入境游客人數(shù)中的近一半，這些新增游客使泰國(guó)的外國(guó)游客人數(shù)從2009年的1415萬人增至去年的2988萬人。這種繁榮體現(xiàn)于曼谷廊曼機(jī)場(chǎng)(Don Mueang airport)出租車上車處和入境檢查柜臺(tái)的蛇形隊(duì)列;泰國(guó)出入境部門宣稱其官方政策是“好人進(jìn)來，壞人出去”。

Some observers link the visa price rise to official efforts to attract more high-spending visitors and draw away from the cheaper — and seedier — elements of Thailand’s tourist success story.

一些觀察人士把簽證價(jià)格上漲與官方的一項(xiàng)努力聯(lián)系起來，后者的目的是吸引更多高消費(fèi)旅客，同時(shí)抑制泰國(guó)旅游業(yè)成功故事中一些比較廉價(jià)、比較粗俗的元素。

Photos and videos have surfaced alleging various episodes of spitting and other bad mannered behaviour by Chinese tourists, who have flocked in particular to temples and other sites featured in a hugely popular 2012 road trip movie called Lost in Thailand.

近年流傳的照片和視頻據(jù)稱記錄了中國(guó)游客吐痰和其它不良行為。2012年出品的旅游電影《人再囧途之泰囧》(Lost in Thailand)票房極為成功，片中出現(xiàn)的泰國(guó)寺廟和其他景點(diǎn)如今擠滿了中國(guó)游客。

Some tourism sector insiders argue the higher fees could even be a good thing, because they will help ease the congestion that rapid expansion has brought.

一些旅游業(yè)經(jīng)營(yíng)者認(rèn)為，簽證費(fèi)上調(diào)甚至可能是一件好事，因?yàn)檫@將有助于緩解游客劇增所帶來的擁堵。