Technical Note

Background

Tourism in the Asia - Pacific region has sustained its growth despite internal and external threats.  In 2002, the World Tourism Organization (WTO) reported that the region attracted more than 130 million international tourist arrivals, thus, truly regarding the Asia - Pacific as “destination of the future.”  Moreover, for the first time ever, the region ranked second in terms of volume of international tourist arrivals, dislodging the Americas which has consistently been in the second place.

While tourism in the region has been regarded as a major economic sector, it has not had the full recognition nor the political and popular support it merits, given its size, its sustained growth and its tremendous capacity to create jobs.  In this regard, the WTO has been working with National Tourism Administrations (NTAs) to develop appropriate strategies and mechanisms that will provide the framework for measuring and determining the socio-economic impact of tourism to aid policy and decision makers at the national and local levels.

In March 2000, the United Nations Statistical Commission had endorsed the WTO Tourism Satellite Account (TSA) Methodological References to provide for the real measurement of tourism’s economic impact.  This significant event cemented the views of the different players in the tourism industry that they are now in a better stand to implement the concept that has long been contemplated.

The WTO, along with other international organizations, clearly recognizing the need for technical assistance  and develop the capacity of tourism, statistics and central bank offices has undertaken a number of international and inter-regional seminars and workshops to advocate the fundamentals of TSA and build skills and expertise in putting the system in place.

The WTO has raised the awareness of the importance of  TSA and has brought together the major players of the TSA, namely:  NTAs, Central Banks and National Bureau of Statistics to work as partners in the development and implementation of TSA.  WTO has also organized national and regional seminars as well as provided technical assistance on TSA in several countries.

In time with the meeting of the WTO Commission for East Asia and the Pacific and the WTO Commission for South Asia, the WTO and the Philippine Department of Tourism (DOT) in coordination with the Philippine National Statistical Coordination Board are jointly organizing the Asia - Pacific Ministerial Summit on TSA and Second Sub-Regional Workshop on Tourism Statistics and Elaboration of TSA to provide the foundation for the development and promotion of TSA in the region.

It is envisioned that Summit and Workshop will help countries in the Asia - Pacific to use the TSA as an instrument to gauge the contribution of tourism to their national economies using hard facts and figures that are internationally comparable and just as reliable as data produced regarding other economic sectors.

Results of the TSA will also allow greater understanding of the true size and value of the tourism.  Tracking the data over a period of years will allow governments to make better-informed policy decisions.  But, above all, the TSA will expand the influence that tourism officials and private sector businesses have with policy-makers at the highest levels of governments.

TSA shares the basic concepts, definitions and classifications of the System of National Accounts, adopted by the United Nations in 1993 (SNA 93), providing figures that measure tourism’s true contribution to GDP and allows tourism to be accurately compared to other economic activities listed in national accounts.

Date/Venue

The Asia - Pacific Ministerial Summit on TSA and the Second Sub-Regional Workshop on Tourism Statistics and Elaboration of a TSA will be held at The Westin Philippine Plaza in Manila, Philippines on 25 - 27 June 2003.

Participants

The Summit and Workshop will be participated in by tourism ministers, executive officials and technical staff involved in the development and compilation of TSA, namely:

·        National Tourism Administrations

·        National Statistics Office

·        Central Banks

These participants are expected to share their country experiences, both in generating tourism statistics and in developing their TSA.  In addition, the business/ private sector in the tourism industry are also expected to attend the Summit and Workshop on the TSA.

International organizations, such as the United Nations Statistics Division and the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific will participate in the Summit and Workshop.

Asia – Pacific Declaration on TSA

The Summit and Workshop will adopt the Asia – Pacific Declaration on Tourism Satellite Account that will provide the strategies and action plan for countries in the Asia – Pacific to develop their TSA.  The Declaration will build on the efforts undertaken by ESCAP and WTO as well as other organizations in the region.