泰国首位女性旅游部长承诺终止泰国性旅游业

Thailand has promised to eradicate its notorious sex tourism industry as it attempts to reinvent itself as a female-friendly travel destination.

为重塑泰国适宜女性游客的旅游胜地形象，泰国政府承诺将终止臭名昭著的性旅游业。

Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul, the country’s first female tourism minister, made the pledge following a series of police raids on Thai brothels last month, amid concerns over human trafficking and underage sex workers.

当前人口拐卖与雏妓问题日益引起社会关注，泰国首位女性旅游部长科甘·瓦他那朗恭承诺将终止性旅游业，上月警方对泰国的一些妓院进行了突击检查。

“We want Thailand to be about quality tourism. We want the sex industry gone,” Ms Kobkarn told Reuters.

科甘女士在路透社的采访中指出：“我们希望泰国提供高品质旅游活动，我们呼吁那些色情产业赶紧关门。”

“Tourists don’t come to Thailand for such a thing. They come here for our beautiful culture.”

“游客来泰国不是为了进行性交易，而是来感受泰国灿烂的文化。”

Prostitution has been illegal in the south-east Asian country since 1960, but the industry employs more than 120,000 sex workers, with authorities frequently accused of turning a blind eye.

自1960年以来，东南亚国家便将性交易视为非法活动，但这一行业仍有超过12万名性工作者，而政府也经常被指责对这一现象视若无睹。

Ms Kobkarn began her drive to clean up Thai tourism’s image soon after arriving in office in 2017, singling out the seedy resort city of Pattaya as a pilot project for the country at large.

科甘女士自2017年上任后就开始美化泰国旅游业形象，在全国范围内，她从乌烟瘴气的芭堤雅着手，以该城市为试点进行改革。

Pattaya has more than 1,000 bars and massage parlours, many of which are fronts for illegal brothels.

芭堤雅有1000多个酒吧和按摩会所，而它们基本上都是为非法色情产业打的幌子。

But last month’s police raids, in which police closed down a high-profile Bangkok massage parlour and arrested more than 100 sex workers employed there – 15 of whom were underage – could mark a turning point for the industry.

但是在上个月的警方突袭检查中，警方关闭了一所曼谷高级按摩会所并逮捕了100多名性工作者——其中有15位是未成年人——这一事件成为整个色情行业的转折点。

Although clients are predominantly Thai men, foreign tourists and expats also flock to brothels in Bangkok, Pattaya and other cities. Almost a million Britons visit the country each year.

尽管主要顾客是泰国人，但是外国游客和移民也经常出没于在曼谷、芭提雅和其他城市的性工作场所。每年有近一百万英国人来泰国旅游。

In an attempt to diversify the industry, Thailand is starting a “month for women travellers” campaign in August, in which female-only pink immigration lanes and parking zones will be set up in international airports.

为了使旅游业多元化，泰国计划在八月发起一项“女性游客月”运动，到时国际机场会专门为女性开辟一道粉色的入境通道与停车区域。

The campaign is timed to coincide with the birthday of Thailand’s Queen Sirikit on Aug 12.

这项运动也恰好赶上了泰国王后诗丽吉8月12日的生日。

Other travel sectors including wedding and honeymoon tourism, and eco-tourism, are also being pursued.

泰国政府同时也支持发展其他旅游项目，比如结婚旅行、蜜月旅行以及生态旅游。

Vocabulary

seedy: 下流的