Thailand has promised to eradicate its notorious sex tourism industry as it attempts to reinvent itself as a female-friendly travel destination.
為重塑泰國適宜女性游客的旅游勝地形象，泰國政府承諾將終止臭名昭著的性旅游業。

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.
當前人口拐賣與雛妓問題日益引起社會關注，泰國首位女性旅游部長科甘·瓦他那朗恭承諾將終止性旅游業，上月警方對泰國的一些妓院進行了突擊檢查。

“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訪中指出：“我們希望泰國提供高品質旅游活動，我們呼吁那些色情產業趕緊關門。”

“Tourists don’t come to Thailand for such a thing. They come here for our beautiful culture.”
“游客來泰國不是為了進行性交易，而是來感受泰國燦爛的文化。”

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年以來，東南亞國家便將性交易視為非法活動，但這一行業仍有超過12萬名性工作者，而政府也經常被指責對這一現象視若無睹。

Ms Kobkarn began her drive to clean up Thai tourism’s image soon after arriving in office in 2014, singling out the seedy resort city of Pattaya as a pilot project for the country at large.
科甘女士自2014年上任后就開始美化泰國旅游業形象，在全國范圍內，她從烏煙瘴氣的芭堤雅著手，以該城市為試點進行改革。

Pattaya has more than 1,000 bars and massage parlours, many of which are fronts for illegal brothels.
芭堤雅有1000多個酒吧和按摩會所，而它們基本上都是為非法色情產業打的幌子。

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.
但是在上個月的警方突襲檢查中，警方關閉了一所曼谷高級按摩會所并逮捕了100多名性工作者——其中有15位是未成年人——這一事件成為整個色情行業的轉折點。

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.
盡管主要顧客是泰國人，但是外國游客和移民也經常出沒于在曼谷、芭提雅和其他城市的性工作場所。每年有近一百萬英國人來泰國旅游。

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.
為了使旅游業多元化，泰國計劃在八月發起一項“女性游客月”運動，到時國際機場會專門為女性開辟一道粉色的入境通道與停車區域。

The campaign is timed to coincide with the birthday of Thailand’s Queen Sirikit on Aug 12.
這項運動也恰好趕上了泰國王后詩麗吉8月12日的生日。

Other travel sectors including wedding and honeymoon tourism, and eco-tourism, are also being pursued.
泰國政府同時也支持發展其他旅游項目，比如結婚旅行、蜜月旅行以及生態旅游。

Vocabulary

seedy: 下流的

英文來源：每日電訊報
翻譯：張雪妮（中國日報網愛新聞iNews譯者）
審校&編輯：丹妮