UNWTO stresses the importance of rigorous measurements in tourism activities to underscore their role in economic development. The new Software for Measuring Accommodation Services developed by the Organization will…
UNWTO stresses the importance of rigorous measurements in tourism activities to underscore their role in economic development. The new Software for Measuring Accommodation Services developed by the Organization will provide support for the collection and organisation of monthly statistics in a format that facilitates detailed analyses of the sector. This constitutes the basis for effective and sustainable pro-development policy action.
Data collection in the accommodation sector is often difficult, as geographical spread, variety in types of establishment or inconsistencies in the format complicate the calculations. This new Software facilitates and provides such statistics on various characteristics of the guests, such as the geographical distribution of overnight visitors, seasonal variations, duration of stay, among others, as well as some basic characteristics of the establishments, such as employment, capacity, etc.
The Software targets National Tourism Administrations (NTAs) and accommodation providers. Both stem to win from it, as the programme allows for detailed accommodation statistics and analysis, as well as a tool to record guest movements and other data sought after by collecting authorities.
“This new tool is also a UNWTO contribution for NTAs and National Statistical Offices to define a strategic alliance that will enable the development of national systems of tourism statistics”, said Antonio Massieu, the head of UNWTO’s Section of Statistics and Economic Measurement of Tourism.
The Software includes the Monthly Accommodation Statistics (MAS) programme, a manual and an introductory presentation. The user-friendly MAS application runs on Excel and is available in English, French and Spanish.
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