UNWTO Special Workshop on Tourism Statistics
UNWTO Special Workshop on Tourism Statistics
At the UNWTO Special Workshop on Tourism Statistics, held at the Tōdai-ji Cultural Center, Nara, Japan, 192 participants from 47 countries exchanged information and ideas on how to better monitor domestic tourism and measure sustainability in tourism. The workshop was part of the Nara Tourism Statistics Week (November 17-21). With the World Heritage Sites of Nara as the backdrop, the week also included the OECD/Eurostat 13th Global Forum on Tourism Statistics.
Presentations focused on the UNWTO Tourism Satellite Account (TSA) system, which provides a framework for analyzing tourism expenditures in a systematic and consistent way. Presentations during the two-day workshop showcased best practices in tourism statistics and TSA compilation methods from New Zealand, Argentina, Japan, Philippines, Austria, Spain, Canada, and the United States.
Speakers also addressed the data gaps in the TSA, in particular, how tourism’s environmental, cultural, and societal impacts are not included in the TSA system. Presentations demonstrated how to incorporate measurements for domestic tourism flows, social inequality, and sustainable development goals in the tourism industry. Access to reliable statistics is crucial for evidence-based policy development to maximize social and cultural benefits of tourism and minimize costs to government, the environment, and social wellbeing.
Nara Tourism Statistics Week fostered an East-West dialogue to build greater international cooperation for the harmonization of tourism statistics. Nara served as a unique setting for the landmark event to improve tourism policy performance, competiveness, and sustainability.
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