New Factfile Will Help Spur Future Tourism Growth
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Tourism Minister Richard Caborn today announced a new Government initiative that will, for the first time, create a clear benchmark to measure the value of tourism in the UK.
Experts from Cardiff, Nottingham and Limerick Universities have been commissioned to create the pilot 'Tourism Satellite Account' (TSA) which will pull together a variety of information into one easy to use, easy to understand, internationally recognised comprehensive package of statistical information.
Tourism Minister Richard Caborn said:
"Tourism is of great - and growing - economic importance in every region of the UK, but accurately measuring its value, or its performance has always been difficult. This initiative will give us clear information – a firm base from which we can build the future growth of tourism in this country."
The TSA will be a useful tool for everyone involved in tourism – from Government to regional tourism bodies and from international organisations to small business. The information will prove invaluable in the development of business strategies, marketing plans and policy.
It will provide details on the structure and economic value of tourism, people in employment and marketing spend. It will also enable comparison between tourism and other economic sectors and improve understanding of the link between them - for example with transport or agriculture.
The TSA will also help the development of economic models for tourism – to test how policies or external events impact on tourism growth, employment or industry productivity. In addition, it will enable direct comparison between our domestic industry and other major markets across the World – from the USA to Korea.
Figures collected will cover England and Ireland, as well as breaking down statistics for the nine English regions. They will complement figures already collected by Scotland and Wales and provide a picture for the whole UK.
The TSA project has been jointly funded by the DCMS and a range of partners including Eurostat for the UK and Irish national TSA's, as part of a joint bid proposal through the British Irish Council. TSA's at English regional level are being funded by all nine Regional Development Agencies.
Data collection will begin in the New Year, with figures published in the Autumn.
Notes to Editors
Further information on the Tourism Satellite Account pilot is available on the DCMS website.
Press Enquiries: 020 7211 6052/6277
Out of hours telephone pager no: 07699 751153
Public Enquiries: 020 7211 6200
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