正文
"
黄金三角
"
，最后在喀拉拉邦度过了几日悠闲时光。
Before all that, though, Mr Van der Meij found himself making a
detour
to Nepal because of complications with his Indian visa. When he did make it to India, the country
’
s
bureaucracy
and heavy-handed airport security were off-putting, while the traffic and pollution were enough for him to decide against returning soon.
然而旅程伊始就遭遇波折
——
由于印度签证的繁琐程序，范德梅伊不得不绕道尼泊尔。真正入境后，繁文缛节的官僚体系、机场安检的严苛作风令人却步，加上混乱的交通与严重的污染，让他暗下决心短期内不会再来。
Mr Van der Meij is the sort of tourist most countries fight over: someone who is genuinely enthusiastic, visits for a long time, seeks to travel in comfort and is willing to splash out a bit. And India, with its 43 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, rich history, natural beauty and many delicious cuisines, should be a magnet for travellers.
这类游客本是各国争相招揽的优质客源：满怀探索热情、追求舒适旅程、乐于深度体验且消费能力不俗。坐拥
43
处联合国教科文遗产、悠久历史、壮美风光与多元美食的印度，理应成为旅行者趋之若鹜的目的地。
Yet the continent-sized country is an underachiever as a destination. Foreign tourist arrivals peaked in 2019 at 10.9m. That year Dubai (World Heritage Sites: zero) attracted 16.7m visitors. In the first half of 2024 Dubai’
s numbers grew by 11% compared with 2019. India
’
s fell by 10%.
然而这个国土面积堪比大洲的国家，旅游业表现却远不及预期。
2019
年印度接待
1090
万国际游客的数字已是历史峰值，同年迪拜（世界遗产数量：零）吸引了
1670
万游客。
2024
年上半年，迪拜游客量较
2019
年增长
11%
，印度却下降
10%
。
Overseas tourism is booming around the world, but India is being left behind. Most countries see tourism as a valuable export industry that generates foreign exchange, taxes and employment. It contributes about a tenth of global GDP and accounts for one in ten jobs.
当全球旅游业强势复苏之际，印度正悄然掉队。多数国家视旅游业为重要创汇产业，能创造外汇、税收和就业岗位。其贡献着全球约十分之一的
GDP
与就业岗位。
Many countries in Asia and the Middle East—
including places such as Uzbekistan and Saudi Arabia, which until recently were closed to tourists
—
are falling over themselves to make it easier for tourists to visit. Several have abolished or eased their visa regimes.
从乌兹别克斯坦到沙特阿拉伯（其中不乏近期才开放旅游的国家），越来越多亚洲及中东国家正简化签证政策以招徕游客。
