8602.0 - Tourism Newsletter, Aug 2007  
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 03/09/2007  First Issue
   Page tools: Print Print Page Print all pages in this productPrint All

Tourism Statistics | news

ABOUT OUR WORK - ABS Tourism Statistics
The role of a national statistics centre (NSC) and tourism statistics
Tourism is considered a service industry and is defined in this way because in broad terms, much of the economic activity associated with the tourism industry is about providing a service to visitors. This differs from agriculture and mining, for example, where economic activity is dominated by the production of goods not services.

The role of a national statistics centre in the area of tourism is relatively new within the ABS and continues to evolve. To date, the role of the ABS Goods and Services NSC has included: representing the ABS at meetings and fora where tourism clients and stakeholders come together to discuss their information needs; undertaking discrete analytical projects, such as developing national economic indicators of tourism; keeping ABS web materials current and relevant; contributing to ABS views on international standards and classifications relevant to tourism; developing ways to improve communication with tourism stakeholders and clients; assisting with the development of relevant ABS surveys by consulting with tourism stakeholders; monitoring developments and emerging issues in the tourism industry, and; producing the tourism chapter of the ABS yearbook.
Image: The front of ABS House
The work of the Goods and Services NSC is also intended to complement the activities of the many other parts of the ABS with a key role in tourism statistics. These other areas of the ABS include, for example, the Transport and Tourism Business Statistics Centre (BSC) based in Queensland, who produce Tourist Accommodation, Australia (ABS Catalogue No. 8635.0) , Demography, who produce the Overseas Arrivals and Departures statistics, the International Services and Investment BSC, who report on international trade between Australia and the rest of the world, and the researchers from National Accounts who compile the Australian Tourism Satellite Account. The Goods and Services NSC also receives information and statistics from other key players in the field of tourism statistics. For example, the surveys run and reported by Tourism Research Australia are of particular importance to tourism stakeholders and the ABS.

Recently the ABS concluded the first stages of user consultation on the 2007-08 ABS surveys of Pubs, Taverns and Bars, and Clubs (Hospitality). Feedback provided by users on priority information needs and requirements for these industry groups will be summarised by the Goods and Services NSC and reported back to contributing agencies and individuals. The priority information needs that emerge from this consultation will be assessed by the Annual Integrated Collections BSC based in the Victorian office of the ABS who are responsible for developing and running these two surveys. The aim is to have the questionnaires in the field by August 2008 with the first results published around mid 2009. Results from these two surveys are also used to update and refresh the Australian Tourism Satellite Account.