Tourist spending in Japan surged to a record ￥4.4tn ($40bn) in 2017 as the weak yen¹ drove the nation’s travel boom to new heights.

2017年，日本旅游市场消费额飙升至创纪录的4.4万亿日元（合400亿美元）。日元疲弱将该国的旅游热推至新高度。

Spending rose 17.8 per cent on the previous year, with every quarter in 2017 setting a new record, according to data released by the Japan Tourist Agency.

日本观光厅(Japan Tourism Agency)发布的数据显示，2017年的旅游消费额同比增长17.8%，其中每一季度都创下新高。

Inbound tourism has been one of the strongest sources of growth for Japan’s economy in recent years. Fuelled by a weak yen, the figures suggest the tourist boom still has some distance to run.

入境游是近年来日本经济增长最强劲的推动力之一。数字表明，受日元疲软推动，这股旅游热潮仍会持续一段时间。

“They’re bullish results,” said Akihiko Tamura, commissioner² of the Japan Tourist Agency. “The framework we’ve been pursuing has borne a certain amount of fruit.”

“业绩非常乐观，”日本观光厅长官田村明比古(Akihiko Tamura)说：“我们所推行的框架已经产生一定效果。”

Mr Tamura noted³ the reliance on Asian visitors. “It would be good if we had a slightly wider range of countries and regions visiting. We have to increase the number of visitors from Europe, the US and Australia.”

田村提到了对亚洲游客的依赖。“如果我们能稍微扩大一下游客来源国家和地区的范围，那就好了。我们必须增加来自欧洲、美国和澳大利亚的游客数量。”

Consumption by free-spending Chinese visitors rose 15 per cent to ￥1.7tn — more than a third of the total — including ￥877bn in retail⁴ purchases. Many Tokyo department stores have hired Chinese speaking staff to cater⁵ for the influx⁶.

挥金如土的中国游客的消费增长了15%，至1.7万亿日元——占总额的三分之一以上——其中8770亿日元来自零售购物。东京许多百货公司已雇用了讲中文的员工，来满足大量涌入的中国游客的需求。

Weakness in the yen, which traded below ￥110 to the dollar for most of the year, contributed to the rise in visitors from China. Japan may also have gained some custom after China banned tour groups from South Korea in retaliation⁷ for Seoul’s decision to host a US missile shield.

日元疲软——去年大部分时间里日元汇率低于1美元兑换110日元——对中国游客数量的增长起到了促进作用。在韩国决定部署美国导弹防御系统后，中国采取了禁止赴韩跟团游的报复措施，这或许也为日本赢得了一些中国顾客。

The second- and third-biggest spenders were from Taiwan and South Korea, followed by visitors from Hong Kong, highlighting Japan’s popularity as a destination for its Asian neighbours who enjoy its food and modern culture.

游客消费额排在第二、第三位的是台湾和韩国，香港紧随其后，这突显出日本作为其亚洲邻居旅游目的地的受欢迎程度。这些亚洲邻居很喜欢日本的美食和现代文化。

There was also robust⁸ growth in visitors from Europe, the US and Canada. Tourists used to regard Japan as too expensive and troublesome to visit. After 20 years of on-and-off deflation it is more affordable⁹, while its cultural and language quirks¹⁰ appeal to an ever more globalised world.

欧洲、美国和加拿大的游客数量也在强劲增长。游客们过去认为日本游太贵、太麻烦。在经历20年断断续续的通缩后，日本游变得更经济实惠，其文化和语言的奇特之处也对全球化程度更高的世界产生了吸引力。

The government of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has also put tourism at the heart of its growth strategy. Liberalisation of tourist visas for Chinese visitors, in particular, has contributed to the surge in numbers.

日本首相安倍晋三(Shinzo Abe)领导的政府也把旅游业列为其增长战略的核心。特别是，对中国游客日本游签证条件的放松，助长了中国游客数量的激增。

Japan reached its goal of 20m annual tourists by 2020 five years early, and with 28.7m visitors in 2017 is on its way to the new objective of 40m.

日本已提前数年实现了到2020年时年游客人数达到2000万人的目标，2017年的游客人数为2870万。它目前正致力于实现到2020年时游客人数达到4000万人的新目标。

After many decades in which Japan ran a large deficit¹¹ in tourism, it now has a surplus on its travel account, contributing to the country’s broader current account surplus.

在经历几十年的旅游账户大额逆差之后，日本旅游账户如今已实现顺差，为该国覆盖范围更广的经常账户的盈余作出了贡献。