中國投資者押注澳大利亞旅遊業

Port Douglas once drew personalities from Bill Clinton to Mick Jagger to its swish beachside resorts and exotic marinas on Australia's Great Barrier Reef.

Dong Run Group澳大利亞道格拉斯港擁有美麗的海濱小鎮和大堡礁(Great Barrier Reef)遊船碼頭，一度吸引比爾•克林頓(Bill Clinton)、米克•賈格爾(Mick Jagger)這樣赫赫有名的人物前來度假。

But help may be around the corner for struggling vacation destinations like Port Douglas. Chinese investors, done splurging on the country's once-booming mining industry, are sniffing around Australia's tourism market in search of bargains. Their arrival promises to give a new lease of life to dilapidated resorts and properties stretching from Queensland state on the eastern coast to rural Western Australia.

但如今，這個海濱城鎮的部分主要景點要麼看上去已經過時，要麼因失修而荒廢。而這一現象背後的一大元兇是澳元匯率。過去幾年，澳元匯率的高企促使消費者選擇去一些消費成本較低的亞洲國家度假。

Many investors are betting on an explosion in tourism Down Under, particularly from China--where people from the country's expanding middle class are increasingly choosing to spend their holidays in countries that are considered exotic. Although Australia remains a relatively expensive place destination, more Chinese are attracted each year to the country's sunny beaches and unusual wildlife.

不過，對於像道格拉斯港這樣境況不佳的度假勝地來說，情況有可能會出現轉機。曾經大手筆投資、炒熱澳大利亞礦業的中國投資者嗅到了該國旅遊市場的投資機會，他們尋求逢低進場。從東海岸的昆士蘭州到田園式的西澳大利亞州，中國投資者的到來有望讓當地荒廢的旅遊勝地和房地產市場重獲新生。

'Australia is an aspirational, bragging-rights brand,' said Don Morris, chairman of the Brisbane-based Tourism Thinktank consultancy. He adds: 'Just being outdoors with blue sky is crucially important to Chinese tourists.'

許多投資者、尤其是來自中國的投資者押注澳大利亞旅遊業將出現爆炸性增長。中國的中產階級隊伍正在不斷擴大，如今越來越多的中國人選擇去那些具有異國情調的國家度假。雖然澳大利亞一直是消費成本相對高昂的旅遊目的地，但每年都有更多的中國人被澳大利亞所吸引，前來享受當地的陽光海灘和不同尋常的野外生活。

Sensing an opportunity, Chinese investors have begun snapping up hotels across the country at an unprecedented rate. They're also weighing into casinos, a popular hangout for Chinese travelers, as well as experimenting with more offbeat attractions such as a China-themed amusement park.

總部位於布里斯班的諮詢公司Tourism Thinktank的董事長莫里斯(Don Morris)說，澳大利亞是度假者夢寐以求的旅遊品牌，有炫耀的資本。他補充說，走出家門、到海外享受藍天碧海對中國遊客來說意義非凡。

Nanjing Fullshare Industrial Holding, a Chinese conglomerate, recently bought three holiday resorts in Queensland, where the Great Barrier Reef is situated. One property--the five-star Sheraton Mirage--helped put Port Douglas on the tourist map in 1987 with its giant swimming pool, golf course, marina and mini shopping mall. Nanjing Fullshare also says it plans to build a 'Chinese-style commercial street' at one of the new resorts.

由於看到了機會，中國投資者已開始以前所未有的速度在澳大利亞全國大舉收購酒店。同時，他們也在投資賭場，這是中國遊客經常光顧的地方。此外，他們還嘗試投資一些更加標新立異的景點，比如中國主題的遊樂場。

Chinese media-and-mining magnate William Han recently bought Queensland's Lindeman Island for 9.6 million Australian dollars (US$8.9 million) after its previous owner, Club Med, closed the resort two years ago amid shrinking tourist arrivals. The island has 670 hectares of World Heritage national parkland accessible to the resort's guests.

南京豐盛產業控股集團有限公司(Nanjing Fullshare Industrial Holding, 簡稱：豐盛集團)最近收購了位於昆士蘭州的三個度假村，而大堡礁正位於昆士蘭州。其中一個度假村是五星級的蜃景喜來登度假酒店(Sheraton Mirage)。這家酒店曾以其巨大的游泳池、高爾夫球場、船塢和迷你購物中心幫助道格拉斯港在1987年榮登上旅遊地圖。豐盛集團還表示，計劃在其中一個新度假村修建一條中國式的商業街。

And China's Dong Run Group last year purchased the Palazzo Versace hotel on Queensland's Gold Coast for A$69 million. The 200-room development--dubbed the world's first fashion hotel--boasts vaulted ceilings 'hand-detailed' in gold and a 'Very Important Pooch' package offering designer futons for guests' pets to sleep on.

中國媒體和礦業巨頭韓子偉(William Han)最近以960萬澳元（約合890萬美元）收購了昆士蘭州的林德曼島(Lindeman Island)。該島的前一位所有者Club Med因遊客數量減少在兩年前關閉了這個度假勝地。林德曼島有670公頃的世界遺產國家公園可供遊覽。

Chinese money is also behind plans for a A$4.2 billion 'mega casino' and resort near the Great Barrier Reef hub of Cairns. Investors are betting the prospect of gambling in luxurious surroundings will help lure cashed-up Chinese tourists to Australia in growing numbers.

中國東潤集團(Dong Run Group)去年以6,900萬澳元收購了位於昆士蘭州黃金海岸的酒店Palazzo Versace。該酒店擁有200個房間，被稱爲全球第一家時尚酒店。該酒店引以爲豪的是全金色拱形穹頂，以及針對客人寵物的成套服務，即提供特別設計的蒲團供客人的寵物睡覺。

One Australian company has recruited ex-world No. 1 golfer Greg Norman to help woo Chinese investors to partner in a A$1 billion resort being created in Great Keppel Island, also along the Great Barrier Reef. Tower Holdings plans to build a 330-room luxury hotel alongside 700 villas, 300 apartments, a casino, and a golf course designed by Mr. Norman himself at what was formerly a backpackers' resort.

在凱恩斯(Cairns)的大堡礁附近修建一座耗資42億澳元的“特大博彩場”及度假村的計劃背後也有中國投資者的身影。投資者相信，在奢華場所進行豪賭的機會將有助於吸引越來越多有錢的中國遊客前往澳大利亞。

Tower Holdings is seeking investment from a wide range of Chinese sources, including rich individuals, local banks, developers and government-backed entities, to help build the five-star facility. Mr. Norman, an Australian, will likely seek to leverage his profile in China as an adviser to the country's Olympic golf team.

澳大利亞公司Tower Holdings已聘請前世界排名第一的高爾夫球手諾曼(Greg Norman)招攬中國投資者，合夥投資一個耗資10億澳元的度假村項目。該項目位於同樣濱臨大堡礁的大克佩爾島(Great Keppel Island)。Tower Holdings計劃在這個過去曾是揹包客的旅遊景點建造一座有330個房間的豪華酒店、700座度假別墅、300套度假公寓、一座博彩場和一個由諾曼本人設計的高爾夫球場。

Tourist arrivals in Australia surged by 10% in the 12 months through February, helped in part by a sudden pullback in the Australian dollar last year from historic highs. The number of Chinese traveling to Australia touched a record 748,000 people in the same period--up 16% from a year earlier, according to government figures.

爲興建這個五星級的度假村，Tower Holdings正從範圍廣泛的中國資金來源中尋求投資，包括富人、中資銀行、開發商和具政府背景的實體。身爲澳大利亞人的諾曼可能會利用他爲中國奧林匹克高爾夫球隊擔任顧問的有利條件。

The sharp rise in overseas travel comes as China emerges from a long period of industrialization to become a mature economywith a vibrant middle class. If the current pace of growth in tourism continues, China may soon surpass neighbor New Zealand as Australia's primary source of visitors, brokerage Commonwealth Securities predicts. Chinese visitors are already spending more in Australia than travelers from any other country, government data show.

截至2月份的12個月中，澳大利亞入境旅遊人數增長10%，一定程度上是因爲去年澳元從歷史高點突然回落。據政府數據顯示，中國赴澳大利亞旅遊人數同期達74.8萬人，創造了新的紀錄，較上年同期增長16%。

Australia ranked 16th among outbound destinations for mainland Chinese in 2012 while much nearer locations--such as the duty-free shopping havens of Hong Kong and Macau--dominated the rankings. For places outside Asia, Australia ranked only behind the U.S., France and close-by Russia, according to figures cited by Tourism Australia.

出境旅遊人數大幅上升之際，恰逢中國走出漫長的工業化過程，成爲一個擁有充滿活力的中產階級的成熟經濟體。經紀機構Commonwealth Securities預測，如果旅遊業保持目前的增長態勢，中國可能很快超過新西蘭成爲澳大利亞第一大入境遊客來源國。政府數據顯示，中國遊客爲澳大利亞創造的旅遊收入已是各國遊客中最高的。

Chinese property firms are already capitalizing on the burgeoning potential. Greenland Group, one of China's largest developers, last year invested A$100 million in an office tower in downtown Sydney that it is turning into an eight-story boutique hotel. A five-star hotel hasn't been built in the city since Sydney hosted the 2000 Olympic Games.

2012年，中國內地遊客出境旅遊目的地排行榜上，澳大利亞排在第16位，距中國內地更近的國家和地區（比如免稅購物天堂香港和澳門）在排行榜上佔據主導地位。據澳大利亞旅遊局(Tourism Australia)援引的數據顯示，對於亞洲以外的地方，澳大利亞僅排在美國、法國和俄羅斯之後。

For its part, the Australian government is hopeful that a resurgent tourism industry will help the nation get through a cooling mining boom that is threatening to end more than two decades of annual growth. According to global real-estate company Jones Lang LaSalle, foreign investment in Australian hotels from all countries reached a record A$1.9 billion in 2013.

中國房地產公司已經開始利用這一新興的趨勢賺錢。中國最大的開發商之一綠地集團(Greenland Group)去年對悉尼市中心的一座寫字樓投資1億澳元，將其改造成一個八層樓的精品酒店。自2000年悉尼奧運會以來，該市一直沒有新建五星級酒店。

Investors from Hong Kong and mainland China together accounted for 18% of investment in Australian hospitality assets that year. The figure would have been much higher without the A$740 million takeover of Australia's biggest hotel owner by the United Arab Emirates' sovereign-wealth fund. 'Certainly, there's been increased investment from China but it's coming from a fairly low base,' said Mark Durran, a Sydney-based manager at the firm.

澳大利亞政府希望旅遊業的復興將幫助該國度過礦業繁榮的降溫期，礦業的降溫可能給持續了20多年的礦業增長畫上句號。據全球房地產公司仲量聯行(Jones Lang LaSalle)稱，2013年澳大利亞酒店的外商投資規模總計達19億澳元，創下新的紀錄。

The rate of Chinese investment--and tourism--may pick up this year as the state governments of Queensland and New South Wales move toward approving major integrated casino-and-hotel developments. Tourism will be helped, additionally, by the higher number of airlines now flying to Australia from China. China Eastern, China Southern and Air China have ramped up direct flights to the nation's major cities in recent years, while Cathay Pacific has begun flying planes straight to Cairns from Hong Kong.

2013年澳大利亞酒店資產投資總額中，來自香港和中國大陸投資者的投資總共佔到了18%。如果不把阿聯酋主權財富基金斥資7.4億澳元收購澳大利亞最大酒店的所有者的交易考慮在內，那麼這一比例本應更高。仲量聯行駐悉尼經理達蘭(Mark Durran)表示，確實，來自中國的投資有所增加，不過最初的投資額很低。

It isn't just Australia's big cities on Chinese investors' radar. Wyong is a sleepy shire on Australia's eastern coast renowned for its picturesque beaches, lakes and wetlands. Soon, it will sport a Chinese theme park alongside a nine-story temple housing a giant Buddha statue, as well as a life-size replica of the gates to China's Forbidden City. The site is costing about A$500 million to construct.

中國投資速度以及旅遊業今年可能回升，因爲昆士蘭州和新南威爾士州州政府有望批准酒店和賭場大型綜合項目的發展計劃。此外，目前中國飛往澳大利亞航線增加也有助於旅遊業的發展。近年來，中國東方航空股份有限公司(China Eastern Airlines Co. ,, 簡稱:東方航空)、中國南方航空股份有限公司(China Southern Airlines Co. ,, 簡稱:南方航空)和中國國際航空股份有限公司(Air China Ltd. ,, 簡稱:中國國航)都已經增加了直飛澳大利亞主要城市的航線，同時國泰航空有限公司(Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd. ,, 簡稱:國泰航空)也開通了香港直飛凱恩斯的航線。

Building work is under way on the holiday attraction dreamed up by Chinese-Australian businessman Bruce Zhong, who has already managed to win backing from a number of Chinese investors for the theme park, which is expected to employ as many as 2,000 people in a region where unemployment is 50% higher than the state average.

吸引中國投資者的並非只有澳大利亞的大型城市。懷昂(Wyong)是位於澳大利亞東海岸的一個沉靜的小郡，因其風景如畫的海灘、湖波和溼地而著稱。很快，這裏將建造一座中國主題公園，旁邊是存放着一尊巨大佛像的九層樓高寺廟，以及按1比1大小仿製的天安門城樓。該項目建造成本大約爲5億澳元。

For now, Wyong's beaches may not be too high on the agenda of Chinese visitors, who for now appear to favor dining, shopping and gambling and tend to prefer to spend time in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. Wyong's mayor, Doug Eaton, is hopeful that this preference will change once a regional airport is built, enabling Asian visitors to fly easily to Wyong from the bigger cities.

這個由澳籍華裔商人Bruce Zhong設計的項目已經開始興建。Bruce Zhong已經贏得了一些中國投資者對主題公園的支持。建造主題公園預計需要僱傭多達2,000名工人，而這一地區的失業率較其所在州平均水平高出50%。

Ross Kelly / Rebecca Thurlow