周一公布的数据显示，2007年，赴日本旅游的中国游客人数首次超过美国游客人数。这突显出，亚洲日益增长的财富推动了该地区的旅游繁荣。
The number of Chinese visitors to Japan exceeded the number of Americans for the first time in 2007, data published on Monday showed, highlighting a boom in regional tourism fuelled by Asia’s growing wealth.

政府支持的日本国际观光振兴机构(JNTO)表示，作为亚洲最富裕、最昂贵的旅游目的地，赴日观光的游客总数攀升了14%，达到了创纪录的835万人。

The Japan National Tourist Organisation¹, a government-supported body, said the total number of tourists entering Asia’s wealthiest and most expensive destination climbed 14 per cent to a record 8.35m.

中国大陆游客激增16%，超过94.3万人；而美国游客人数则小幅下降，略低于81.6万人。

The number of mainland Chinese visitors surged 16 per cent to more than 943,000, while the number of Americans fell slightly to just under 816,000.

日本国际观光振兴机构认为，中国赴日游客的增加，缘于中国日益庞大的中产阶级可支配收入提高、中日之间航班状况改善，以及去年为中日关系正常化35周年而举行的一系列活动。

The JNTO attributed the growth in Chinese visitors to Japan to the increase in the disposable income of China’s growing middle class, improved air links between the countries and events last year to mark the 35th anniversary of the normalisation of Sino-Japanese relations.

中国人涌至日本，游览东京迪士尼乐园(Tokyo Disneyland)、去东京秋叶原电器街购物、去日本阿尔卑斯国家公园(Japanese Alps)滑雪。东京一些电器商店提供汉语导购，帮助购物者满载而归。

Chinese have flocked to Japan to visit Tokyo Disneyland, to shop in the city’s Akihabara gadget² district and to ski in the Japanese Alps. Some Tokyo electronics shops offer Mandarin-speaking guides to help shoppers fill their carts.

赴日游客中，韩国人仍然最多，达到260万，比2006年增加了22%。随后是台湾人，为139万。中国大陆游客排在第三位，其后是美国、香港和澳大利亚游客。
South Koreans remained the most numerous visitors at 2.6m, up 22 per cent from 2006, followed by Taiwanese at 1.39m. Mainland Chinese were third, followed by visitors from the US, Hong Kong and Australia.

日本若要击败法国、成为全球最热门旅游目的地，还有很长的路要走——法国每年吸引约7500万游客。不过，尽管如此，日本政府还是把旅游业推为一项战略行业，并设定了2010年之前游客达到1000万的目标。

Japan is a long way from beating France as the world’s top tourist destination – the latter attracts about 75m visitors a year – but the Japanese government is, nonetheless, pushing tourism as a strategic industry and has set a target of 10m visitors by 2010.

日本政府希望，游客人数的增加可以帮助抵消国内消费支出长期低迷的影响，并振兴日本那些景色优美却地处偏远的地方，如日本北部的北海道。从某种意义上，北海道比富裕而人口稠密的东京距离中国或韩国更近。

It hopes that the increase in tourist numbers will help offset³ chronically⁴ weak domestic consumer spending and revitalise scenic⁵ but remote parts of Japan, such as the northern island of Hokkaido, that in some cases are closer to China or South Korea than to rich and populous⁶ Tokyo.

作为立足亚洲、大举推动旅游业的部分举措，日本政府已经与中国政府合作，推进日中之间航线建设。据日本国际观光振兴机构称，2007年至少增加了20条新线路。

As part of its largely Asia-focused tourism push, the government has been working with Beijing to boost air links between Japan and China. At least 20 new routes were added in 2007, according to the JNTO.