TOWARDS AN INTEGRATED
SYSTEM OF TOURISM STATISTICS
Keynote Address
IBGE Second National Meeting
of Producers and Users of Social Economical
and Territorial Information
Prepared by:
Scott M. Meis, UNWTO Consultant
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
25 August, 2006
Introduction
• Thank you
− Eduardo, for the invitation
− Roberto, for the hospitality & advice
− Neiva, for the help
− Pepe – a mentor, I keep following in his
footsteps…with this topics as with others!
• Initial challenge… intimidating!
• Realization: Statistics systems development and
integration have been the focus of my “whole
career”!
Overview
Focus:
 Identify, specify & explain the case for, and concepts,
of a “System of Tourism Statistics” (STS), and
 An “Integrated” system (ISTS)
Purpose:
 Specify the meaning and significance of “integration”
for STS
Objectives:
 Demonstrate contributions of TSA to ISTS
 Identify the benefits of ISTS
Overview
 Rationale
 Key Concepts
 Information/data Needs
 Users & Uses
 Data Sources
 Organizing the Data: TSA Role
 Illustrative Examples
 Management, Collaboration & Coordination
 Conclusions
Rationale: Why Systems
of Tourism
WHAT
ARE THEStatistics
TOOLS?
& Research?
JUSTIFICATIONS FOR STATE TOURISM INTERVENTION
Welfare
economics
Assumptions:
•Pereto efficiency
•Perfect competition
•Market failure
Approaches:
•Correct market failure by:
−external effects
− production of public
goods
− information deficits
Transaction
costs
New Growth
theory
Assumptions:
Assumptions:
•Growth endogenous
•High transaction
to economic systems
costs for tourism SMEs
•Resulting supply shortages
Approaches:
•Strengthening human
Approaches:
resources by education
•Reduction of
& training
transaction costs
•Collaborative promotion • Strengthening research
& development
•Uncertainty reduction
Source: Adapted from Smeral & Prilisauer, 2005
Social
integration
Assumptions:
•Travel promotes
interpersonal growth,
knowledge &
understanding
Approaches:
•Support domestic
travel of youth
• Support cultural
education potential
of 2 way international
travel
Rationale: Why State Systems of Tourism Statistics
& Research?
JUSTIFICATIONS FOR STATE TOURISM INTERVENTION
• Tourism promotion/development provides:
 Stimulating effects of tourism marketing
e.g. evidence of minor positive elasticities of relating
to foreign tourism demand
 Above average high value added effects
 High general employment & growth effects
 Relative locational security (i.e.“comparative
advantage”)
 A significant factor in some economies, ensuring
peoples livelihood and means of subsistence
--especially SMEs in rural areas
Source: Smeral, 2006
Rationale: What is Tourism Anyway?
CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES OF TOURISM
• A social domain – a particular human activity
• Defined as a demand-side phenomenon
• Temporary mobility of people from usual place of
residence to temporary destinations
• Particular subset of travelers called “ visitors”
• An amalgam of industries providing commodities and
services directly to the visitor
• Related expenditures create economic significance
• Localization of impacts
• A field of study
• A collection of knowledge
Source: Adapted from NTFTD, 1989
Rationale: What is Tourism Anyway?
DEFINITION & SCOPE OF TOURISM DEMAND
WTO and UN definitions (developed at Ottawa Conference on Tourism
Statistics, Canada (1991)):
“the activities of persons traveling to and staying in places outside their
usual environment for no more than one consecutive year for leisure,
business and other purposes”
Includes:
Day trips (excursions) plus “tourist trips” (1+ nights)
Travel to visit friends & relatives
Travel for business
Travel for personal reason (education LT 1yr, religious & health)
Excludes:
Commuting to/from work
Study or job relocation
Diplomats or armed forces on assignment
Source: Adapted from WTO, 1993
Rationale: What is Tourism Anyway?
FORMS OF TOURISM
• Inbound tourism: non-residences visiting a given
country/state (exports)
• Outbound tourism: residence visiting in another
country/state (imports)
• Domestic tourism: residence visiting within their
own country/state
• Internal tourism: domestic + inbound
• National tourism: domestic + outbound
• International tourism: inbound + outbound
Source: Adapted from NTFTD, 1989
Rationale: How much is that?
230+ MILLION TRIPS
7+ X CANADIAN POPULATION (30 MILLION)
Total tourism **
233.5 million person-trips (2004)
127.3 million tourist* person-trips (2004)
Domestic tourism **
88.7 million overnight person-trips*
86.4 million same day
Outbound tourism
US: 13.8 million person-trips *
Overseas: 5.7 million person-trips *
Inbound Tourism
US:
15.0 million overnight person-trips*
19.6 million same day
Overseas:
4.1 million overnight person-trips*
0.2 million same day
* Tourist = 1+nights
** Not comparable with 2001
Previous (Pre-1989)Views of Tourism Data
 NO measures of the core economic phenomena:
• Tourism consumption
• Tourism products
• Tourism industries
 NO credible measures of the economic role and significance of
tourism in the national economy
 NO core source of data on articulation of tourism markets &
industries
 NO overview the whole of tourism
 A dispersed and disorganized collection of information fragments
 “The whole is less than the sum of its parts” Martin Wilke,1985
 NO “system” at all!
Source: NTFTD, 1989
What is the System of Tourism Statistics?
SYSTEM OF TOURISM STATISTICS (STS)
 1st reference --Tourism Satellite Account (TSA):
Recommended Methodological Framework (1993)
 Introduction: beyond being a new statistical instrument, the TSA must be
analyzed as a as a ‘building process to guide countries in the
development of their own system of tourism statistics, the main objective
being the completion of the TSA, which could be viewed as the synthesis
of the system’.
 “That part of the National Statistical System whose aim is to provide the
user with reliable, consistent and appropriate statistical information on
the socio-economic structure and developments of the tourism
phenomenon and which can, in turn be integrated with all the other
economic and social statistics at different territorial levels (state, infrastate, and international).”

Source: Massieu, 2001
Concepts: TS History
TOURISM STATISTICS:
OTHER “SYSTEMATIC” SEMINAL REFERENCES
• “Definition of ‘international tourist’ for statistical purposes”,
Council of the League of Nations, 1937
• Revised definition of ‘international tourist’ and concept of
‘international visitor’, International Union of Travel
Organizations, 1950, 1953
• Recommended definition for the terms “visitor, tourist and
excursionist”, IUOTO, 1963
• “Provisional Guidelines on Statistics for International Tourism”,
United Nations Statistical Commission, 1976
• “Le compte satellte du tourisme: presentation des cadres
comtables et de la premiere estimations de la defense interieure
de tourisme”, Ministere du Commerce, de l’ Artisanat ed du
Tourisme, 1979
• “Determination of the importance of tourism as an economic
activity within the framework of the national accounting
system”, WTO , 1983
• “Le Compte Satellite du Tourisme”, CREDOC, INSEE , 1983
• “Tourism and Economics: the Inclusion of Tourism in Standard
Economic Statistics”, OECD, 1984
Concepts: TS History
TOURISM STATISTICS:
OTHER “SYSTEMATIC” REFERENCES (Cont’d.)
• “ Towards A Tourism Research and Statistics System”, Gordon
Taylor, Tourism Canada, 1984
• “Tourism Statistics Program”, Shaila Nijhowne, Statistics
Canada, 1985
• “Working Paper #2: Current Data Bases”, Stephen Smith, NTFTD,
Statistics Canada, 1985
• “ Working Paper #3: A Satellite Account for Tourism”, Claude
Simard & Janet Swinamer, NTFD, Statistics Canada, 1985
• “Working Paper #5: Characterizing Tourism Demand Standard
Definitions and Classification”, Peter Fairchild, NTFD, Statistics
Canada, 1985
• “Working Paper #6: A Report on the Prospects for Establishing
Local Area Tourism Data Bases in Canada”, Frank Hart, NTFD,
Statistics Canada, 1985
• Working Paper #4: A Proposed Integrated Framework for the
Demand-side Tourism Data Collection in Canada, Brent Ritchie,
NTFD, Statistics Canada, 1985
• National Task Force on Tourism Data: Final Report, Statistics
Canada, 1989
Concepts: TS History
TOURISM STATISTICS:
OTHER “SYSTEMATIC” REFERENCES (Cont’d.)
• “A Proposal for a Tourism Satelite Account and Information
System for Tourism”, Jocelyn Lapierre, Stewart Wells, Kishori Lal,
Kathleen Campbell & John Joisce, 1991
• WTO-UN Recommendations on Tourism Statistics , UN- WTOOECD, 1993
• Technical Manual #2: The Collection of Tourism Expenditure
Statistics” WTO, 1995
• “System of Statistical Indicators for Analysing the Economy of
Tourism (SINTUR): Progrramme of work for the period 19982000”, Working Document No. 5, Instituto de Estudios Turisticos,
1997
• “A Satellite Account for Tourism (4th Draft)”, WTO, 1998
• “A Tourism Satellite Account for OECD Countries (Draft)”, OECD,
1998“A Research and Development Program for Improved
Tourism Industry Decision Making: Technical Paper, Canadian
Tourism Commission, 1999
• Les Comptes Satellites du Tourisme: Une proposition de
l’Organization mondiale du tourisme pour integrer l’analyze du
tourisme dans le cadre de la Cmpatabilite’ Nationale”, Marion
Libreros, 2000
Concepts: STS Scope
STS SCOPE AND COVERAGE
• A series of statistical functions relating to tourism including:
 Organization and legal structure of the institutional units
that produce tourism statistics (mostly public but some
significant private and micro levels)
 Administrative mechanisms and (legally) established links
between these and a central unit (if one exists)
 Statutory and non-statutory nature of certain statistical
sources and administrative controls which generate
information that is liable to used for statistical purposes,
(border controls, sales taxes, registers)
 Human and material resources assigned to tasks in these
producing units
•
Source: Massieu, 2001
Concepts: STS Structure
STS STRUCTURE
• Elements:
To fulfill its aims (and as subset of the NSS) STS must include:
 Statistical Sources: Travel surveys, household resident
surveys, business data, systemic syntheses (IO, BOP, SNA),
administrative data, etc.
 Methodological references: Concepts, classifications,
methods and procedures
 Instrumental means available: Collection, storage,
dissemination and application of the obtained data
 Data bases of detailed final results, micro-data files,
summary results
 Publications (paper & electronic information products)
 Analytical applications and transformations: impact
models, econometric forecasts, etc.
Source: Adapted from Massieu, 2001
Concepts: STS Structure
STS STRUCTURE (Cont’d.)
• Focus:
 Marketing aspects of tourism
 Social aspects of tourism
 Economic aspect of tourism
 Financial aspects of tourism
 Operating aspects of tourism
 Environmental aspects of tourism
 Legal aspects of tourism
 Political aspects of tourism
 Others
Source: Adapted from Massieu, 2001
Concepts: STS
STS FUNCTIONAL REQUIREMENTS
• Reconciliation:
 Controlling & ensuring that a particular process meets its
assigned purpose and user requirements
 Controlling consistency/harmonization of statistical
information systems at state/,infra-state and international
levels
• Coordination: Balancing tourism
statistical/research programmes in terms of
ongoing activities, projects and financial and
human resources
• Integration: Controlling & ensuring the
connection and assembly of the different
statistical products
Source: Adapted from Massieu, 2001 and Quevedo, 1990
Concepts: Integration
INTEGRATION ELEMENTS
• Instrumental Elements: National and
international tourism concepts,
definitions, classifications, and
standards for tourism
• Integrated Statistical Information
Systems:
 Tourism Satellite Account Information Systems
 Tourism Marketing Research & Information Systems
 Systems of National Accounts
 Socio-demographic Information Systems
Source: Adapted from Massieu, 2001 and Quevedo, 1990
Concepts: Integration
INTEGRATION SIGNIFICANCE
• Level of integrated system development a
function of number, type and complexity of
functions
• Integrated systems require consistency, rigour
in preparation of basic tourism statistics
• Integrated systems provide the conceptual
framework required to designte instrumental
elements: concepts, defintions, classifications
& standars
• Integrated systems provided the key leverage
point for statistical work in all areas
Source: Adapted from Massieu, 2001 and Quevedo, 1990
What kinds of data relate to tourism?
DATA NEEDS FOR STS
 Overall general need: to improve knowledge of
tourism reality
 Specific purposes:
 Aid improved public & private decision
 industry related decision making relating to:
• Advocacy, planning and public awareness
• Marketing
• Investment, operations and management
• Manpower, education and training
 Facilitate international comparisons for
 regulatory and other policy, planning and
 management purposes
 To facilitate pure and applied research
Source: Adapted from Massieu, 2001 and NTFD, 1989
What kinds of data relate to tourism?
TOURISM DATA NEEDS
 National “macro” level data to establish the economic
and social significance of tourism
 Macro regional data as well to assess and assist
regional development policies
 National data relating to specific policy developments, eg.
taxes, exchange rate fluctuations on tourism business
 National data relating to sector & industry strategic plans
 “Micro” data on specific market places & operations of
firms
 Local data on the strength of attractions and local
tourism activities at specific destinations
Source: NTFTD, 1989
What kinds of data relate to tourism?
DATA TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS
 Credibility,
reliability and validity in representing
claimed aspects of tourism reality
 Timeliness and relevance if intended to aid decision
making
 Produced on a regular basis
 Consistent & comparable over time, between regions &
regions, & with other fields of economic & social activity
(i.e. concepts, definitions, classifications, units of analysis,
reference populations)
Source: Adapted from NTFTD, 1989 and Massieu, 2001
What kinds of data relate to tourism?
DATA TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS (Cont’d.)
Sufficient breadth and depth of subject matter to meet
most decision-makers’ requirements
 Internally consistent with recognized economic & socal
frameworks
 Accessibility, transparency and affordability
 Associated communications and education
 Objective and scientific (i.e. reproducible)
 Minimal duplication

Source: Adapted from NTFTD, 1989 and Massieu, 2001
What tourism data sources are there?
DATA SOURCES
 Multiple, diverse sources – Canada found 275 different
 Majority in public sector central statistics agencies
with national international or regional scope
 Primarily individual resident and visitor surveys
 Also business surveys of operating characteristics
of tourism sector firms (both public & private)
 Provincial/state “exit” surveys & specialized surveys
of events & attractions
Source: NTFTD, 1989
What tourism data sources are there?
DATA SOURCES (Cont’d.)
 Administrative data (both public & private)
“Micro” data on specific market places & operations of
firms
 Local data on the strength of attractions and local
tourism activities at specific destinations
 Private sector “micro” data of operating characteristics
firms, establishments, branches, products, & market
segments
Source: NTFTD, 1989
TSA Defines Scope of Tourism Industry

TSA defines the scope of the tourism sector (industries) to include the direct
supply of goods and services to facilitate business, pleasure and leisure activities
away from the home environment

TSA defines the core supply-side facets of tourism:
• Tourism expenditures
• Tourism products
• Tourism industries
• Tourism demand
• Tourism GDP
• Tourism Employment
• Tourism enterprises

TSA provides credible aggregate measures of the role and significance of
tourism in the national economy in terms of total demand, Tourism GDP and
employment
TSA provides a core source of data on the articulation of tourism industries with
markets
TSA provides tourism interests with a self-view


Source: NTFTD, 1989
The TSA & Integration
TSA CONTRIBUTIONS TO
INTEGRATING TOURISM STATISTICS
 A conceptual framework
 An information system linking source and
derivative databases
 A source of consistency
 A tool for reconciliation
 A tool for comparisons
 A tool for coordination and collaboration
 A template for discovery
Source: Adapted from NTFTD, 1989
TSA: Data Integration
Link to SNA/I-O
Canadian System
of National Accounts
Input/Output Tables
Tourism
Tourism
Tourism
Satellite
Account
Source: NTFTD, 1989
Monetary
Values
CTSA: Data Organization
Multi-layered Vision
Analytical
Modules
Capital Module
Data
Characterization Data
Core Account
Source: NTFTD, 1989
TSA Information System Vision
Transportation
Surveys
Accommodation
Survey
Input Output
System
System of
National
Accounts
Canadian
Travel
Survey
Food and
Beverage
Survey
Recreation
Surveys
Canadian
Tourism
Satellite
Account
International
Travel
Survey
3 Demand Surveys
Travel
Arrangement
Services Survey
13 Supply Surveys
Survey of
Household
Spending
Gov’t. Support
Planning & Analysis
Source: NTFTD, 1989
Data Organization: Demand-Supply Link
Linkage Between Commodities & Industries
 Demand is estimated for groups of goods and
services (commodities)
 GDP and employment, however, must be calculated
by industry
 Supply can be calculated either for groups of commodities
or by industry/sub-industry categories, establishing the
link between demand and GDP
 The link is a demand/supply ratio for each
commodity
 This ratio is then applied to each industry category
to calculate GDP and employment in the industry space
Source: NTFTD, 1989
TSA: Integration & 1 Way Reconciliation
Tax information
Canadian
Tourism Satellite
Account
Other Information
Reconciliation
Process
Such as
Manufacturing data
International Trade data
Labour Force
Survey
Supply Surveys
Demand Surveys
All Other Areas of
System of
National Accounts
Input Output
System
System
of National
Accounts
Business information
Such as
Profits, capital investment,
revenues, expenses
Survey of
Employment,
Payroll and Hours
TSA: Integration & 1 Way Reconciliation
Balance supply
& demand
 Commodities expenditures VS
industry revenues
 Tourism demand VS supply by
commodity
 Tourism inputs VS outputs by
industry
 Gross outputs VS all inputs
 Iterative interactive process
STS-TSA: Integration Examples
ILLUSTRATIONS
 Comparable Key Aggregates
 Comparable Detailed Aggregates
 Economic Impact Models
 Economic Indicators
 Characteristics of the Industry
 Government Revenues
 Forecasts
 Media analysis templates
STS-TSA: Key Aggregate Comparisons
VIEW OF MAJOR EXPENDITURE
FLOWS
2000
% Change
2000/1998
Tourism Spending
$ 53.7 B
+17%
Foreign Spending
(Exports)
$17.8 B
+15%
Canadian Spending
$ 35.3 B
+18%
Canadian Spending
Abroad (Imports)
$21.0 B
+18%
Travel Account Deficit
$ 3.1 B
0.0
STS-TSA: Key Aggregate Comparisons
TOURISM GDP SHARES WITHIN SECTOR
Other
Industries
19%
Other tourism
services
10%
Food &
beverage
23%
Air
transportation
24%
Other
transportation
8%
Accommodation
16%
•Tourism GDP: $ 20.4 Billion (2000)
•Air transportation = most value added
TSS-TSA: Key Aggregate Comparisons-PTTSA 1996
Tourism GDP /
Employment in tourism /
total GDP
total employment
(percentage)
Yukon
British Columbia
Prince Édward Isle.
Nova Scotia
Newfoundland/Labrador
Manitoba
Canada, 1996
Québec
Alberta
Ontario
NWTerritoires/Nunavut
New Brunswick
Saskatchewan
4.8
3.5
3.1
2.6
2.3
2.3
2.3
2.2
2.2
2.1
2.1
2.0
1.8
8.1
4.7
4.6
4.1
3.9
3.2
3.7
3.3
3.9
3.5
4.3
3.6
3.3
STS-TSA: Key Aggregate Comparisons
Gross Domestic Product at Basic price, Tourism and Selected Industries in Canada, 2000
$70,000
$60,000
Millions of current dollars
$50,000
$40,000
$30,000
$20,000
$10,000
$Agriculture,
forestry, fishing
and hunting
Mining,oil and gas
extraction
Retail trade
Health Care
Services (except
Hospitals) And
Social Assistance
Hospitals
Tourism
Motor Vehicle
manufacturing
TSS-TSA: Cross Market Comparisons
Tourism Expenditures by Canadians and non residents, 2000
100%
90%
15%
19%
11%
9%
80%
18%
13%
70%
60%
50%
14%
17%
11%
40%
19%
30%
24%
30%
20%
42%
10%
27%
31%
Non-residents in Canada
Canadians Abroad
0%
Canadians at Home
Other Non-tourism Commodities
Other Tourism Commodities
Food and Beverage Services
Accommodation
Transportation
Sectoral Linkages: Extra-sectoral purchases
1994 External Inputs to Canadian Tourism
Sector Selected Industries
($ millions )
Travel
Services
($millions)
53
492
?
2055
7753
?
68
68
?
Communications/utilities
479
509
?
Finance, Insur. R.E.
519
1668
?
Business & computer serv.
331
239
?
Accomm.
( $ millions )
Selected Commodity Purchases
Agriculture products
Manufacturing products
Construction services
Source: Tourism Economic Impact Model (TEIM)
Food and
Beverages
STS-TSA: Seasonal Comparisons – Total Demand
$20,000
$17,000
Q1
Q2
Q3
Q4
$14,000
$11,000
$8,000
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
Long Term Trends & Cycles (1986 Q1 to 2001 Q2)
STS-TSA: Detailed Quarterly Comparisons
Total Tourism Spending in Canada by Key
Commodities – 2nd Quarter 2001
Total Tourism
Demand In
Canada
( $ millions )
Yearly
Change
(% )
(92$)
(%)
22,417
11.6
3.6
Transportation
Yearly
Change
Accommodation
7,460
5.7
0.8
Food and beverage services
8,524
5.2
2.9
Other tourism commodities
5,432
7.1
2.9
Total tourism commodities
43,833
8.7
2.9
Total other commodities
10,243
4.6
4.5
Tourism expenditures
54,076
7.9
3.2
Source: National Tourism indicators, Catalogue no. 13-009-XPB.
Structural Linkages: Business Characteristics
Distribution of Tourism Businesses
by Industry *and Size
%
%
of Total SME’s**
Food and beverage service (92):
Recreation and entertainment (85,96):
Accommodation (91):
57
19
12
99.0
99.0
97.6
Transportation (45):
Travel services (96):
6
5
98.9
99.5
Other
1
---
Total Enterprises (1999)
159,000
* 1980 Standard Industrial Classification
** Less than 100 employees
Government Revenue Comparisons
$1.60
$8.90
$12.40
Federal
Provincial
Municipal
TOTAL = $15.4 Billion (1999)
* Adjusted = $30 /$100
Media Content Analysis Media Content Analysis
Chart 2: Breakdown of coverage by major tourism industry group, April –June 2005*
While the transport industry group
continued to lead coverage, mostly from
attention to the airline industry, its share of
coverage was greatly reduced from last
quarter as attention to Jetsgo dissipated,
resulting in a notable rise in profile for nonindustry coverage of government policy and
tourism marketing campaigns .
Cultural
8%
Recreation
5%
Travel
Service
7%
Nonindustry
specific
22%
Food and
Beverage
3%
Hospitality
13%
Transport
42%
Source: Cormex Research; Canadian Tourism
Commission
*Based on total exposure for the quarter.
Latest Integrative Innovation: A Canadian
Tourism Industry Industrial Outlook
•Resulting supply-side forecasts are provided quarterly for a five-year
period following from the current year.
•Combines information from the preceding instruments and analysis to
assess the current and future profitability of the Canadian tourism sector.
• New economic model has been developed specifically to forecast
profitability within the various key industry components.
ISTS: Collaborative Organization
Multi-lateral Technical Partnership
 Statistics Canada & Canadian Tourism Commission
 20+ Other partners
 Objective independent statistics agency
 Industry champion, leadership, resources, uses
 Shared goals and objectives
 Interdependence
 Regular meetings, fora & working group
 Leadership, flexibility & firmness
 Mutual respect & understanding
Key Requirements of “Integrated” STS
 Collaborative organization platform, leadership
& vision
 Consistent standard concepts
 Harmonized definitions and measures of
key aggregates
 Common integrating conceptual and data framework
 Tightly integrated Core Account data bases
 Loosely integrated feeder data bases and derivative
data bases
 Independent quality and separate integrity of
linked data sources
Conclusions
 Canada has an “integrated” System of Tourism Statistics
 The TSA is the integrating instrument
 Defines tourism products/services
 Defines tourism industries
 Developed credible & consistent measures
 Consistent (broadly) with international standards
 Reveals total economic effects
 Comparability with total economy
 Comparability with other industries
 Reveals structural linkages
 Tracks tourism trends and performance
 Enables industry forecasting & future scenarios
Thank you for your attention!
Are there any questions?
smeis@ogers.com