去年日本旅遊市場消費額創紀錄

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

2017年，日本旅遊市場消費額飆升至創紀錄的4.4萬億日元（合400億美元）。日元疲弱將該國的旅遊熱推至新高度。

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.

日本觀光廳(Japan Tourism Agency)發佈的數據顯示，2017年的旅遊消費額同比增長17.8%，其中每一季度都創下新高。

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.

入境遊是近年來日本經濟增長最強勁的推動力之一。數字表明，受日元疲軟推動，這股旅遊熱潮仍會持續一段時間。

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

“業績非常樂觀，”日本觀光廳長官田村明比古(Akihiko Tamura)說：“我們所推行的框架已經產生一定效果。”

Mr Tamura noted 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.”

田村提到了對亞洲遊客的依賴。“如果我們能稍微擴大一下游客來源國家和地區的範圍，那就好了。我們必須增加來自歐洲、美國和澳大利亞的遊客數量。”

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

揮金如土的中國遊客的消費增長了15%，至1.7萬億日元——佔總額的三分之一以上——其中8770億日元來自零售購物。東京許多百貨公司已僱用了講中文的員工，來滿足大量涌入的中國遊客的需求。

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 retaliation for Seoul’s decision to host a US missile shield.

日元疲軟——去年大部分時間裏日元匯率低於1美元兌換110日元——對中國遊客數量的增長起到了促進作用。在韓國決定部署美國導彈防禦系統後，中國採取了禁止赴韓跟團遊的報復措施，這或許也爲日本贏得了一些中國顧客。

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.

遊客消費額排在第二、第三位的是臺灣和韓國，香港緊隨其後，這突顯出日本作爲其亞洲鄰居旅遊目的地的受歡迎程度。這些亞洲鄰居很喜歡日本的美食和現代文化。

There was also robust 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 affordable, while its cultural and language quirks appeal to an ever more globalised world.

歐洲、美國和加拿大的遊客數量也在強勁增長。遊客們過去認爲日本遊太貴、太麻煩。在經歷20年斷斷續續的通縮後，日本遊變得更經濟實惠，其文化和語言的奇特之處也對全球化程度更高的世界產生了吸引力。

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.

日本首相安倍晉三(Shinzo Abe)領導的政府也把旅遊業列爲其增長戰略的核心。特別是，對中國遊客日本遊簽證條件的放鬆，助長了中國遊客數量的激增。

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.

日本已提前數年實現了到2020年時年遊客人數達到2000萬人的目標，2017年的遊客人數爲2870萬。它目前正致力於實現到2020年時遊客人數達到4000萬人的新目標。

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

在經歷幾十年的旅遊賬戶大額逆差之後，日本旅遊賬戶如今已實現順差，爲該國覆蓋範圍更廣的經常賬戶的盈餘作出了貢獻。