The Department of Statistics (DoS) will begin conducting an updated survey this week to identify the travel trends and demographics of incoming and outgoing visitors, officials said. The…
The Department of Statistics (DoS) will begin conducting an updated survey this week to identify the travel trends and demographics of incoming and outgoing visitors, officials said. The National Tourism Visitors Survey (NTVS), implemented by DoS with the support of the USAID-funded Siyaha project, will offer the tourism industry precise data on the characteristics, behaviour and expenditure of inbound and outbound tourists.
It will question visitors about various activities in which they participated, transportation and accommodation, places they visited and other issues relating to their trip. A sample of 45,000 visitors at all ports of entry and exit will be surveyed over one year, a spokesperson from Siyaha told The Jordan Times.
Visitors will be asked to fill out the survey with the assistance of 35 field researchers that have been trained for this initiative, the spokesperson said.
The survey will identify the demographic profile of visitors and provide regional and international data such as where they`re coming from and where they are going to and the purpose of visit, he added.
The survey, which follows a similar one carried out in 1997, will be crucial in providing the industry with updated information for marketing as well as project and investment planning. Siyaha has covered one-third of the JD250,000 project, with JD150,000 allocated from the Tourism Ministry.
DoS will be responsible for planning, managing and executing the field research as well as orchestrating the study of the data. According to the spokesperson, each of the field researchers has a certain quota at the entry and exit points.
The survey period was set for one year in order to get a balanced sample covering travel pattern across tourism seasons, including Hajj. According to Siyaha, the survey data will be analysed by DoS in October 2007.
Siyaha`s Chief of Party Ibrahim Osta said the study would provide the government with accurate data on tourist expenditure and revenue generated from tourism.
Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Munir Nassar and USAID Mission Director Anne Aarnes attended a signing ceremony for the project.
Tourism is considered one of the most important sectors that help boost Jordan`s economy said Aarnes, adding that cooperation between the public and private sectors is a critical element in the development process as it shows commitment by both parties to develop the tourism sector.
Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Suhair Al-Ali, who also attended the ceremony, stressed the importance of having an updated survey to provide concerned entities with the necessary data and information on tourist trends.
Nassar said the new survey would help in decision making for marketing as well as for developing new tourism products.
The survey also serves as the backbone in helping Jordan establish the Tourism Satellite Account (TSA), which has been in the works since last year.
The TSA is used to measure the economic contribution of tourism to GDP and to provide an analysis of the tourism industry.
It focuses on the measurement of expenditure by resident and nonresident tourists, and on the size of the tourism industry, including its contribution to GDP and employment.
With the survey in place, Jordan will be one of 30 countries in the world to participate in the TSA.
Siyaha Human Resource and Sector Support component leader from project Joseph Ruddy underscored the importance of this project, considering it the first step in the development of Jordan`s TSA.
The Tourism Ministry established a working committee in September 2005 comprising various industry stakeholders, DoS, hotel representatives and the private sector to develop the survey.
Siyaha offered support in the design of the questionnaire for inbound and outbound survey in addition to funding the cost of recruiting and employing the field researchers.
The questionnaire was then validated by the World Tourism Organisation.
The USAID project also helped in mapping and assessing data sources and standards, developing the TSA system, preparing a research strategy and plan and providing support for capacity building at the Jordan Tourism Board.
Siyaha will also train the appropriate bodies on how to use this information in a way that will promote Jordan as an international tourist destination.
The country has been working to improve the industry`s performance and help it compete on the international and regional levels as part of its National Tourism Strategy, launched in 2004.
These include the need to strengthen marketing efforts, support product development and competitiveness, develop human resources, and introduce reforms for an effective institutional and regulatory framework.
Siyaha will also participate in an NTVS steering committee to lead the efforts of the project, along with representation from the ministry, JTB, the General Intelligence Department, DoS and the Central Bank of Jordan.
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