奥运让伦敦市中心变“鬼城”

The Olympics is creating a “ghost town effect in central London as visitors who would normally flock to the capital’s shops, hotels and theatres stay away, casting doubt on predictions of a short-term economic boost from the games.

奥运会正使伦敦市中心地带(central London)变为一座“鬼城，平常门庭若市的商尝酒店和剧院如今却门可罗雀，这让人们对奥运将给英国经济带来短期提振的预言产生了怀疑。

The games have attracted as many as 100,000 foreign visitors to London – more than in previous Olympics. But, on its own, that number significantly lags the estimated 300,000 foreign tourists who could be expected in a typical year.

此次奥运会吸引了多达10万名外国游客来到伦敦，人数高于伦敦以前举办过的奥运会。但与一般年份30万外国游客的水平相比，这一数字实际上很低。

Theatres are among the businesses suffering most from emptier streets.

空空如也的大街让剧院等行当损失惨重。

“We’re bleeding, darling, said Nica Burns, chief executive of Nimax Theatres. “For my six theatres, last week was the worst this year. I think the Olympics are great – but I feel like I’ve been the bullseye for the archery.

Nimax剧院(Nimax Theatres)行政总裁尼卡·伯恩斯(Nica Burns)说：“亲，我们的心在滴血埃对于我掌管的六家剧院来说，上周是今年表现最糟糕的一周。奥运会确实很棒，但我感觉我们的角色却像是射箭比赛中的靶心。

Ms Burns forecast that ticket sales at her company’s six West End theatres would be down 30 per cent over the summer.

伯恩斯女士预计，她们公司在伦敦西区的六家剧院今年夏天的门票销售额将下降30%。

London’s major museums and tourist attractions are also being affected. The body representing them, the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions, reported a fall of 30-35 per cent in attendance over the past two weeks, compared to last year.

伦敦主要的博物馆和旅游景点也受到了影响。代表这些实体利益的英国旅游景点协会(Association of Leading Visitor Attractions)发布报告称，相比去年，过去两周游客人数下降了30%到35%。

Bernard Donoghue, ALVA’s chief executive, said its members – who include the British Museum and the Tower of London – “have been trying to compensate by telling people there are fewer queues and longer opening hours.

英国旅游景点协会行政总裁伯纳德·多诺霍(Bernard Donoghue)指出，包括大英博物馆(British Museum)和伦敦塔(Tower of London)在内的协会会员“一直在宣传它们那里现在排队时间更短、开放时间更长，试图吸引游客以弥补自己受到的损失。

Transport for London, the public body that runs the capital’s Underground and road network, has been warning for months of heavy disruption. The voice of Boris Johnson, mayor, has boomed from station platforms warning of the imminent “huge pressure on the transport system.

管理英国首都地铁和公路网的公共机构——伦敦交通局(Transport for London)几个月来一直在警示（奥运期间）可能出现严重的交通中断。站台广播中传来伦敦市长鲍里斯·约翰逊(Boris Johnson)的声音，提醒人们交通系统很快将面临“巨大的压力。

TfL said journey numbers were four per cent higher than usual yesterday.

伦敦交通局指出，昨天的出行人数比往常增加了4%。

In response to slow bookings, hotels have cut prices. Hotels.com research said prices during the Olympics had fallen around 25 per cent in a two-week period in June.

伦敦的酒店因订房情况较为低迷，已纷纷下调了客房价格。Hotels.com的调查显示，奥运客房的预订价格在6月份的两周时间里下降了25%左右。

Nick Palan, managing director for Golden Tours, an open-top tour bus company, said: “It’s totally destroyed the market for us this summer. The hotels put up prices heavily earlier in the year?.?.?.?We’re down by over 20 per cent.

英国敞篷旅游巴士公司Golden Tours的董事总经理尼克·帕兰(Nick Palan)说：“今年夏天我们的市场彻底毁了。酒店在今年早些时候把客房订价提得太高了……结果导致我们现在的收入下降了20%以上。

Mr Donoghue of ALVA said the body had asked TfL to alter its advice: “As long as you avoid peak times and stations, London is surprisingly accessible and open for business.

多诺霍表示，英国旅游景点协会已要求伦敦交通局更改其警示：“只要避开高峰时段和最拥挤的车站，你依然会感到伦敦是惊人的便利，商业环境也开放得很。