Data sources
The main sources of national tourism data, used to inform policy at national, regional and local levels, are:
- International Passenger Survey (IPS)
Measures inbound visits to the UK, analysed by region/destination, and visitor spend. Carried out by the ONS, it is based on face-to-face interviews at airports and ports.
- UK Tourism Survey (UKTS)
Measures domestic tourism – that is, travel within the UK by UK residents. It is carried out by a commercial firm on behalf of VistsBritain, which funds it in partnership with the Devolved Administrations. It is based on face-to-face consumer interviews.
- Leisure Day Visits Survey (LDVS)
Conducted approximately every three years as a survey of day tourism
Improvement work
Tourism’s data sources were examined in detail in the 2004 DCMS/ONS review of tourism statistics.
The DCMS-led Tourism Statistics Implementation Planning Group prioritised the recommendations in the light of available funding, and VisitBritain re-tendered its contract for the UKTS. The much improved survey has been in operation since 2005.
We are now in discussion with the RDAs and others with a view to improving the standards of regional tourism data, and (more generally) about a possible central co-ordination unit for tourism’s statistical resources.
To calculate figures for the total value of the industry we produce annual estimates based on the results of a pilot Tourism Satellite Account (TSA) for the year 2000. TSA is a method of measuring tourism’s wider contribution to the economy.
Further information
