Tourism and Travel Statistics System
Statistics Austria (STAT) - the Austrian statistical office - has already collected data about tourism for some 130 years. The tourism and travel data compiled by STAT comprises four core areas: accommodation, travel habits, travel balance of payments and satellite systems (TSA).
Accommodation statistics
The accommodation statistics provide key information about Austria’s tourism, such as the number of nights spent and arrivals, which can be analysed according to accommodation types and countries of origin in particular. Data is submitted on a monthly basis by around 68 000 commercial and private accommodation establishments via 1 560 municipalities, broken down by type of accommodation and countries of origin. Furthermore, stock statistics (accommodation and beds) are collected once per year for the winter and summer season.
Travel habits of the population resident in Austria
Every three months 3 500 representatively chosen individuals living in Austria (15+) are questioned about their travel behaviour. The interviews are carried out by means of computer assisted telephone interviews (CATI). Participation in the survey is voluntary. The selection frame for the proportionally stratified sample is the Central Population Register. The phone numbers are taken from the public telephone directory.
Travel Balance of Payment
Since 1 January 2006, Statistics Austria has been responsible for collecting data for international payment flows in tourist travel on behalf of the Austrian Central Bank. The travel balance of payments compares the expenditure of Austrian residents for travel abroad and receipts from incoming tourism (excluding international passenger transport).
Tourism Satellite Account
A Tourism Satellite Account (TSA) – based on the recommendations of EUROSTAT, OECD and the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) – was implemented in order to allow the collection of data on the monetary scale of the tourism industry as well as an evaluation of the value created by tourism for the economy as a whole and the industry’s effect on employment.
The TSA for Austria was set up in 2001 – starting with the reporting year 1999 – in the context of a collaborative project undertaken by the Austrian Institute for Economic Research (WIFO) and Statistics Austria. It is commissioned by the Federal Ministry of Labour and Economy. The national tourism satellite accounts are drawn up bi-annually; as of the reporting year 2003, the employment-related effects of the tourism industry are also taken into account. In view of the regional and local significance of tourism, regional tourism satellite accounts (RTSA) for Vienna, Lower and Upper Austria as well as for Burgenland have been calculated for several years on behalf of the respective Federal Province’s tourism organisation. In implementing the "Plan T – Master Plan for Tourism" the RTSA have been extended to eight of the nine federal provinces.
Within the framework of the Plan T – Masterplan for Tourism, new indicators for the performance of the Austrian tourism have been set to evaluate development in all three dimensions of sustainability – ecological, economical, and sociocultural.
The economic situation of tourism businesses is evaluated for example by RevPAR (Revenue per Available Room) and fictitious dept repayment period. With indicators like energy mix, share of renewable energy of the total energy use in accommodation and restaurant sector as well as the energy consumption per night spend ecological results receive attention. The satisfaction of the guests, the tourism acceptance of the population and the employment rate (TSA) are indicators for sociocultural conditions.
This future-oriented set will be constantly further developed.