世界经济论坛会议凸显缅甸基础设施薄弱
Global Elite Roughing It at Meeting in Myanmar
One thing would have been immediately clear to the world's business and political elites flying into the eerily empty airport in Myanmar's capital for this week's World Economic Forum on East Asia: We're not in Davos anymore.
全球商界和政界精英从各地飞到缅甸首都参加本周的世界经济论坛东亚会议(World Economic Forum on East Asia)。在空空荡荡的机场里，他们立即明白这一样一个事实：我们已经不是在达沃斯了。
The contrast between the forum's flagship annual gala at a plush Swiss ski resort in January and its latest conference in the former pariah state highlights Myanmar's weak infrastructure for travel and tourism. The conference in Davos is renowned for five-star pampering and rounds of lavish networking cocktail parties. Top executives and celebrities zip into the event by private jet or helicopter before being whisked off in limousines.
今年1月份，世界经济论坛在瑞士的滑雪胜地举行了一次盛大的年会，如今又要在这个曾经被国际社会遗弃的国家举办最新一次会议。两次会议之间的对比令缅甸交通和旅游基础设施薄弱的情形显露无遗。达沃斯会议以五星级美餐和奢华的鸡尾酒派对闻名，参加这一盛事的企业最高管理人员和各界名人乘坐私人飞机或直升机来到达沃斯，然后换乘豪车赶赴会场。
Not so at Naypyitaw. The city, built over the past decade or so to replace former capital Yangon, was shut off to most Westerners until just a couple of years ago. Its gleaming new airport welcomes just a handful of flights each day.
在内比都就完全不一样了。过去10年，缅甸修建这座城市以取代曾经的首都仰光。直到几年前，内比都对大部分西方人仍是封闭的。该市熠熠生辉的新机场每天只有不多的航班降落。
For sure, the number of foreign visitors to Myanmar has surged since the country embarked on a path of political and economic reform. Visitor arrivals rose 29.7% between 2011 and 2012, hitting more than 1 million for the first time.
诚然，自缅甸开始走上政治和经济改革之路以来，入境游客一直在激增。2011年至2012年，入境游客数量增长了29.7%，首次超过了100万。
Still, many international visitors will find Myanmar is barely ready for their arrival. There are frequent power blackouts. International hotel chains are virtually nonexistent. The cellphone network is patchy. And the country's banking facilities are limited, with only a few hundred merchants accepting credit-card payments. Many hotels and restaurants accept only local currency or crisp, untorn U.S. dollars.
不过，很多外国游客会发现缅甸还没有准备好迎接他们的到来。缅甸经常停电。国际连锁酒店基本上不存在。手机网络稀稀落落。缅甸的银行设施也有限，只有几百家商户接受信用卡付款。很多酒店和餐馆只接受缅甸本国货币或崭新的美钞。
This week, Naypyitaw's hotels were hastily installing new ATMs just hours ahead of the start of the forum to ensure delegates would be able to access cash. Accommodation ranges from luxury resorts with infinity pools and spas to more spartan hotels, where the staff appears unused to dealing with large numbers of foreign visitors. WEF's famous after-hours networking events may be limited because Naypyitaw has virtually no night life to speak of and because some hotels where delegates are staying are a 45-minute drive from the main convention center. A flotilla of buses has been laid on to ferry delegates around.
本周，在距离世界经济论坛开幕仅有几个小时之际，内比都的酒店匆匆安装崭新的自动取款机(ATM)，以便确保代表们能够提取现金。代表们住宿的地方从带巨大泳池和SPA的豪华度假村到更加简朴的酒店档次不一。在简朴的酒店里，工作人员似乎不习惯接待大批外国游客。世界经济论坛知名的晚间社交活动可能受到限制，因为内比都事实上根本没有值得一提的夜生活，而且代表们入住的一些酒店距离主会议中心有45分钟的车程。主办方安排了巴士车队来接送代表。
The down-to-earth WEF style for this meeting appears to have disappointed some delegates, one of whom complained about the lack of a cappuccino machines, while others said tiles in hotel showers were broken. 'It's not exactly luxury travel,' said one delegate from the U.K.
这次会议的简朴风格似乎令一些代表感到失望。一位代表抱怨没有卡布奇诺咖啡机，而其他人则说酒店洗澡间里的瓷砖是坏的。一位来自英国的代表说，这很难说是一次豪华行。
Others, though, were more generous in their comments. 'They've done an incredible job, when you look at the facilities,' said Martin Sorrell, chief executive officer of advertising company WPP Group WPPGY +0.81% .
不过，其他人的评价则更为大度。广告公司WPP Group首席执行长苏铭天(Martin Sorrell)说，他们完成了一项令人难以置信的工作，看看这里的设施。
The conference is being held in the grandiose Myanmar International Convention Center in the center of town, which appears to suffer from a dearth of shops or restaurants nearby.
世界经济论坛在市中心宏大的缅甸国际会议中心(Myanmar International Convention Center)举行。会议中心附近似乎缺少商店和餐馆。
Mr. Sorrell questioned whether the event may have got a better showing from top chief executive officers if it had been held in Myanmar's main business hub, Yangon, which is about a one-hour flight away. But he supported the WEF's decision to hold the conference in the emerging Southeast Asian nation. 'On balance I think it will be very well received,' he said. 'I think you've got a lot of very good regional people, and after all this is a regional conference.'
苏铭天怀疑，如果会议在缅甸的主要商业中心仰光举行，可能会有更多的首席执行长出席。从仰光到内比都乘飞机大约需要一小时。但他支持世界经济论坛在这个东南亚新兴市场国家召开会议的决定。他说：总体来说，我认为会议将有不错的反响。我认为你可以接触到很多来自该地区的很好的人，而且这毕竟是一次地区会议。
天之聪教育
2013-06-09
天之聪教育
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