如何吸引更多中国游客？
How to Attract More Chinese Tourists to Sri Lanka?
程学源大使在斯里兰卡主流媒体发表专栏文章
Published by Ambassador Cheng Xueyuan on Sri Lankan Newspaper
2019年7月23日
23 July 2019
在来到斯里兰卡之前，我难以想象在这六万多平方公里的土地上，遍布着这么多的世界奇观。康提湖的湖光山色，加勒古城的烂漫古朴，科伦坡的绚丽多彩，狮子岩的惊险刺激，都让人赞叹不已。许多中国游客都像我一样被这些美景所吸引。
Before being nominated as the Chinese Ambassador to Sri Lanka and arriving at the country to assume my office, I could hardly imagine that there are so many world wonders on this tropical island of over 60,000 square kilometers. The graceful lake and mountains of Kandy, the quaint and ancient city of Galle, the gorgeous and colorful Colombo, and the breathtaking thrills of Lion Rock are all amazing and stunning. Many Chinese tourists have been attracted to these beautiful sceneries with pleasant surprise like me.
在中国驻斯里兰卡使馆的大力支持和推动下，中国赴斯里兰卡的旅游人数已达到每年近30万人次，在斯迎来的外国游客中数量稳居前列。但与同为中国近邻的泰国相比，斯里兰卡所吸引的中国游客数量却又不值得一提了，2018年赴泰中国游客已突破千万。
With the strong support and promotion of the Sri Lankan government as well as the Chinese Embassy in Sri Lanka, the number of Chinese tourists to Sri Lanka has reached nearly 300,000 annually and ranks the top among foreign tourists to Sri Lanka. However, this number is only a peanut while comparing with the number of Chinese tourists attracted by Thailand, which is also a neighbor of China. In 2018, Chinese tourists to Thailand have exceeded 10 million.
究其原因，我想主要有几个方面。首先是语言障碍。很多中国游客不习惯英语运用，更不懂僧伽罗语等当地语言，中文导游陪同和讲解十分必要，而斯里兰卡当地懂中文的导游人数又极少，但又不允许中国的导游陪同游客前来。另一方面，中国人对中国美食情有独钟，出门在外仍然是“中国胃”，但由于工作签证很难申请，开办中餐厅很不容易，所以斯里兰卡的中餐厅数量有限，有时无法满足中国游客的需求。此外，中国游客习惯了中国烟酒，在斯旅游期间无法买到中国烟酒，甚至不允许携带本人自用的少量中国香烟，这种在很多其他国家所没有的限制让中国游客不习惯。
The reasons mainly include following aspects. Firstly is language barrier. Many Chinese tourists are not accustomed to English language, much less the Sinhalese or Tamil language. Chinese-speaking tour guides’ accompany and interpretation is a must for them. But there are very few Chinese-speaking local guides here, and Chinese guides are prohibited from entering Sri Lanka and accompanying with tourists. Besides, Chinese people always have “Chinese stomach” when traveling. They show strong preference to Chinese food. However, it is difficult for a Chinese chef to obtain a working visa to work in or set up a Chinese restaurant. Therefore, the number of Chinese restaurants in Sri Lanka is limited and sometimes cannot meet needs of Chinese tourists. In addition, a large percentage of Chinese tourists are accustomed to Chinese tobacco and alcohol, which is a reality that the tourism industries in Sri Lanka has to consider seriously, although it is not healthy at all and should not be encouraged. The tourists cannot buy Chinese tobacco and alcohol during their stay, and even not allowed to bring a few Chinese cigarettes with them for their personal own use when entering this island. These restrictions make Chinese tourists unaccustomed, which don’t exist or at least have some level of exemption or tolerance in many other countries.
事实上，这些便利性、体验感和幸福感恰恰是中国游客最为关注的一点，也是他们决定旅游目的地的关键因素之一。我注意到前不久泰国国家旅游局答中国记者问时强调，2019年该局对中国市场的推广重点在增加便利性和幸福感上，希望到达泰国的中国朋友得到高品质的旅游体验。
In fact, conveniences, experiences and happiness are precisely what Chinese tourists most care about, and one of the key factors in their decision-making of travel destinations. I noticed that the Tourism Authority of Thailand emphasized in an interview that the promotion of the Chinese market in 2019 will focus on increasing convenience and happiness, hoping all Chinese friends in Thailand would enjoy high-quality experience.
中国是全球最大的游客来源地，中国出境旅游人数、境外旅游消费已连续多年位居世界第一。中国旅游市场的庞大是其他很多国家无法比拟和想象的，而旅游业带动的航空、酒店、交通和餐饮等其他行业的增长也是相当可观的。当前中斯关系发展已进入快车道，两国正如火如荼地共建“一带一路”，各领域交往日益频密，中斯旅游合作的前景亦十分广阔。
China is the world’s largest source of tourists with large scale of outbound tourists and ranks No.1 in overseas consumption in the world for many years. The size of China’s tourism market is too huge to imagine and compare by many other countries. The growth of related industries such as aviation, hotels, transportation and catering promoted by the tourism industry is also considerable. At present, the Sino-Sri Lanka relations has stepped into a fast development period. The implementation of Belt and Road Initiative between the two countries is in full swing, the exchanges in various fields are increasingly frequent, and the prospect for Sino-Sri Lanka tourism cooperation is also promising.
如果斯里兰卡能不断改善旅游环境，像泰国一样关注提升游客的舒适度，切实解决前面所说的那些对中国游客的障碍，我相信未来会有更多的中国游客慕名而来，为斯里兰卡带来更多的消费，也为当地经济增长注入更强劲的动力。
I’m fully confident that if Sri Lanka could continuously improve the tourism environment, focus on improving the comfort of foreign tourists as much as Thailand, adjust relevant regulations in accordance with Sri Lankan laws, ease the existing obstacles for foreign tourists effectively, more and more Chinese tourists will be attracted to Sri Lanka, which will stimulate tourism, consumption and stronger vitality to local economy growth.