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■英國威廉王子與凱特的「世紀大婚」上月底在萬眾祝福中圓滿完成，除為英國帶來不少商機，更是一次成功的國家公關。資料圖片
英國威廉王子與凱特的「世紀大婚」上月底在萬眾祝福中圓滿完成。這場舉世矚目的盛大婚禮不但為英國低迷經濟「沖喜」，帶來可觀收益，更是一次成功的國家公關，向世人展示英國文化和傳統的優雅高貴。王室亦刻意通過塑造凱特「平民王妃」形象，及在婚禮安排上注入更多現代觀念，顯示與時俱進的態度，拉近王室與平民的距離。
「世紀大婚」的超級人氣對於目前英國低迷的經濟有如一劑難得的「強心針」，為英國帶來不少商機。受「世紀大婚」效應影響，有關的書籍、瓷器、T恤和明信片等紀念品成為時下熱銷貨，英國各大酒店推出的王子與公主主題項目大受遊客青睞。英國旅遊局已經將2011年定為王室主題旅遊年，近期到英國旅遊的外國遊客較往年增加60萬。據估計，這場「世紀婚禮」可為英國經濟帶來10億英鎊收入。
王室是英國國家的象徵，王室廣邀各國政要、社會名流和各國使節見證同賀「世紀婚禮」，如同舉辦一場喜慶熱鬧的外交盛會；王室盛大的儀式、程序安排乃至禮服穿著均具有深厚的英國文化背景和含意，「世紀婚禮」是向世界宣傳英國文化和傳統的良機。英國政府把「世紀大婚」日定為全國假期，普天同慶，國民視之為國家大事，暫時放下政爭歧見分享婚禮的喜悅，足見婚禮有團結國民及提升國家向心力的作用。
Economic and public relation effects of the Wedding of the Century
Prince William of the United Kingdom and Catherine (or Kate) Middleton got married at the end of last month in the Wedding of the Century with blessings from hundreds and thousands of people. The grand wedding ceremony that captured the attention of the whole world not only gave a “boost”to the faltering British economy and brought considerable revenue, but also effected a successful national public relation initiative that showcased the elegance and nobleness of the British culture and heritage. The image of Kate as a princess from the common people was deliberately emphasized by the Royal Family and a greater number of modern concepts were also added to the ceremony. These showed the willingness of the Royal Family to catch up with modern times and get closer to the general public.
The high popularity of this Wedding of the Century made it“a shot in the arm”for the currently poor economy of Britain, as a lot of business opportunities were brought to the country. Due to the enchantment of the wedding, related souvenirs such as books, chinaware, t-shirts and post cards became hot picks for buyers while various prince and princess fairy tale packages offered by major hotels in the UK became favourable choices among tourists. The year 2011 has been named by the British tourist authority the Year of Royal Wedding Tourism and recently the number of foreign visitors to the UK has increased by 600,000 over the past year. It has also been estimated that the royal wedding can bring £1 billion revenue to the UK economy.
The Royal Family is the national symbol of Britain. As they invited outstanding political figures, dignitaries and ambassadors to witness the wedding, the Royal Family had in effect hosted a joyous and lively diplomatic event. The grandiose ceremony, the arrangement of schedule and even the costumes as seen in such a royal event were all rich in British culture and meaning. The Wedding of the Century was a golden opportunity for Britain to promote its culture and heritage to the world. Furthermore, the British government had made the wedding day a national holiday so that everyone in the country could enjoy the celebration. The British people, considering the wedding an important national event, temporarily put down their political differences and shared the joy together. Clearly, the wedding had also an effect of uniting the people and improving national cohesion.
■Translation by 開明 chi.ming818@gmail.com
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