恐怖襲擊讓巴黎旅游業(yè)遭遇滅頂之災?
????埃菲爾鐵塔、巴黎圣母院和塞納河向來是巴黎明信片的經典背景,但經歷了上周的恐怖襲擊事件之后,現在一提起這座時尚之都,人們恐怕首先會想到槍擊、搜捕和劫持人質的畫面。 ????法國的旅游業(yè)也許將成為恐怖事件的另一個受害者。一如幾乎所有引人注目的恐怖襲擊爆發(fā)后的情形,一些潛在游客可能會望而卻步。 ????專門研究旅行、旅游業(yè)和旅游服務的Phocuswright公司研究主管盧克?布加爾斯基表示:“法國的旅游業(yè)將面臨巨大考驗。” ????法國是美國游客的主要目的地之一。美國商務部的報告顯示,在2013年赴歐旅行的美國人中,有19.9%前往法國,僅次于赴英國旅行的游客比重(26.3%)。 ????根據世界銀行和法國外交事務和國際發(fā)展部的數據,法國國內生產總值中有7%來自旅游業(yè),游客每年在法國的消費額高達近2,000億美元。 ????英國《每日電訊報》報道稱,2013年前往法國的旅客數量是8,470萬人,多于前往美國的游客(6,980萬人)。 ????目前還不清楚這場恐怖襲擊究竟會給法國旅游業(yè)帶來多大影響。在這次恐怖襲擊中,諷刺雜志《查理周刊》的多名員工慘遭殺害,此外,在追捕和擊斃主要犯罪嫌疑人及其同伙的過程中,還有數名人質遇害。法國的安全形象顯然受到了影響。旅行社和業(yè)內分析人士預計,一些人會取消赴法行程,或在今年的旅行清單上把法國劃去。 ????布加爾斯基指出,法國政府提升安全級別,也許會讓游客難以享受旅行的樂趣。博物館等人氣場所幾乎都會配備額外警力,遭到更嚴密的監(jiān)視。他表示,這也許會導致更加嚴重的“擁擠”和“不便”,導致去法國的游客失去興致。 ????美國旅行社協會主管勞拉?羅德里格斯對《財富》表示,游客若前往擁有暴力記錄的地區(qū),應當做好安全措施,聽從導游人員的指導。她還說,游客應當警惕周圍的環(huán)境,并購買旅行保險,這樣就可以在遭遇危險事件而被迫取消行程時獲得補償。 ????羅德里格斯還是菲尼克斯市Marina Tours and Travel的老板,這是一家專門經營赴法團體游的旅游公司。她說,她不希望這樣一番言論嚇到自己的顧客。 ????羅德里格斯說:“這類事件在全世界任何一個地方都可能發(fā)生。讓我們祈禱它們不會再次發(fā)生吧。” ????全球商務旅行協會常務董事麥克?麥考密克解釋稱,9/11事件給各大公司敲醒了“警鐘”,促使他們更加重視赴海外出差員工的安全狀況。 ????全球商務旅行協會的報告顯示,2013年,商務旅行者的法國之行共花費了350億美元,這是該指標連續(xù)第三年下降。但該協會預計,2014年的商務旅行花銷將會再次增長,達到370億美元。 ????麥考密克特別談到了恐怖襲擊對歐洲和法國商業(yè)旅行的影響:“我估計情況不會有多大改變。當然,這種局勢對休閑旅行的影響會稍大一些。” ????他繼續(xù)說道:“但我認為還發(fā)生了另一件事,那就是法國現在獲得了以前沒有的抗壓性和警覺性。我們現在非常關注世界每個角落發(fā)生的事情。我認為,人們已經對目前的局勢有了更深入的理解。”(財富中文網) ????譯者:嚴匡正 ????審校:任文科 |
????Images of shootings, manhunts and hostage stand-offs in Paris this week replaced the usual picture postcard views of the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame Cathedral and the Seine. ????France’s tourism industry may be another victim. As is the case following almost all high-profile terrorist attacks, some would-be visitors may stay clear. ????“There’s a lot at stake,” said Luke Bujarski, the director of research at Phocuswright, a firm that specializes in research about travel, tourism and hospitality. ????France is a prime destination for U.S. travelers. The country accounted for 19.9% of all American trips to Europe in 2013, second only to the United Kingdom with 26.3%, according to a Commerce Department report. ????Tourism generates around 7% of France’s gross domestic product, or nearly $200 billion in spending annually, based on data from the World Bank and the French foreign affairs and international development ministry. ????More people visited France in 2013 – 84.7 million – than the United States, which had 69.8 million visitors, The Telegraph said. ????How much of an impact there will be is unclear. The attacks – which included a dozen murdered at the Charlie Hebdo satirical magazine along with several hostages killed during raids that left the chief suspects and an ally dead – certainly tarnished the country’s image for safety. Travel agents and analysts expect that some people will cancel trips to France or check the country off their list this year. ????Bujarski pointed out that ramped up security by the French government may make it more difficult for tourists to enjoy the country. High-profile locations such as museums are almost guaranteed to get extra police and tougher screening. The result may be more “congestion” and “inconvenience” that’s off-putting to those who visit France in the future, he said. ????Laura Rodriguez, a director with American Society of Travel Agents, told Fortune that visitors to regions with a history of violence should take safety precautions and make use of the expertise of tour guides. She added that travelers should stay aware of their surroundings and buy travel insurance so they can be reimbursed if they have to cancel their trip because of dangerous events on the ground. ????Rodriguez, who is also owner of Marina Tours and Travel in Phoenix, which specializes in tour group vacations to France, said she wouldn’t want to scare her customers. ????“Things like this could happen in any part of the world,” she said. “And let us hope things don’t happen again.” ????Mike McCormick, the executive director of the Global Business Travel Association, which represents the corporate travel industry, explained that businesses post-9/11 have had a “wake-up call” in terms of how protective they are of employees who travel abroad. ????In 2013, business travelers spent $35 billion dollars on travel in France, marking three years of negative growth, according to a Global Business Travel Association report. But it said corporate travel spending was expected to start rising again, to $37 billion in 2014. ????“My expectation is that largely it would be the same,” McCormick said about the attacks’ impact on business travel to Europe and France, specifically. “Leisure tends to be a little more reactive to situations, for sure.” ????He continued: “But the other thing that I think that has happened is there’s a resilence and awareness that wasn’t there before. Ultimately, we are very aware now of happenings in every part of the world. I think there’s just much more of an understanding.” |