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country
'
s economy, must follow concepts and de
nitions consistent with internationally accepted
macroeconomic guidelines, such as the System of National Accounts.
The fundamental structure of the TSA therefore relies on the balance existing within an economy
between, on one hand, the demand for goods and services generated by visitors and by other
consumers and, on the other hand, the overall supply of these goods and services. The idea is to
analyze in detail all aspects of demand for goods and services that are associated with tourism within
the economy, and to measure the relationship with the supply of such goods and services within the
same economy. More speci
cally, a TSA measures:
Tourism
'
s contribution to gross domestic product (GDP)
&
Tourism
'
s ranking compared to other economic sectors
&
The number of jobs created by tourism in an economy
&
The amount of tourism investment
&
Tax revenues generated by tourism industries
&
Tourism consumption
&
Tourism
'
s impact on a nation
'
s balance of payments
&
Characteristics of tourism human resources
&
Because of its comprehensive nature, a TSA provides decision makers with a valuable tool for
planning and policy making. In particular, it provides them with reliable data of tourism
'
s impact on
the economy and employment. As well, it permits the measurement of both domestic and nonresident
tourism
and the employment associated with each. A TSA, however, can do much more. Following
are some examples.
A TSA can provide information on how much tourism is worth to the national economy, and how it
compares to other industries and other countries. By demonstrating and using the size of tourism,
tourism of
cials and private-sector businesses will have more in
uence on policy makers at all levels
of government. As well, it can make clear which industries bene
it from tourism and by how much
—
in
particular, industries not traditionally associated with tourism. For instance, business enterprises can
identify the role tourism plays in their success and develop business strategies accordingly.
A TSA is able to provide information regarding how much tax revenue is generated by tourism. This
information is useful in convincing municipal, provincial, or federal levels of government to invest
further in tourism. In addition, it provides data on visitor demand and how this demand is met by
domestic supply. A TSA enables the establishment of a tourism economic impact model, which can be
used to estimate the effect on the economy and on employment of various tourism expenditure
shocks. Such an impact model provides a better understanding of tourism employment and where
each industry ranks compared to other tourism industries.
It should be emphasized that the ongoing development of TSAs as national promotion tools has
been a process dating back to at least 1993. The most recent focus of this development was a major
international TSA conference held in Vancouver, Canada, in 2001. This and other conferences have
brought together the following organizations: United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO),
World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development
(OECD), United Nations (UN), Eurostat, and a number of government statistical agencies, national
tourism administrators, and central banks.
This collaboration demonstrates the general principle that in order to develop a national TSA, it is
essential to involve a number of key actors within a country. The most signi
cant of these are:
—
National statistical of
ces, national tourism administrations (NTAs), central banks, and associ-
ations of national tourism enterprises
&
Information-producing units such as tourism enterprises and establishments, and other public
departments
&
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