Tourism Statistics - Government of Botswana

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
1. Introduction
In 2004, a UNWTO executed project Strengthening Tourism Statistics in Botswana commenced.
Its ultimate aim was to develop the first Tourism Satellite Account (TSA) for Botswana. However
the TSA was not the only goal of this project. Over its duration the following significant milestones
have been achieved:
The process for measuring monthly accommodation statistics has been improved and
upgraded. Data is now analysed and published within two months of the period for which
it is collected.
The annual visitor survey that is used to measure tourism expenditure has been improved
to provide more useful information on the economic impact of tourism in Botswana.
The national tourism statistics database has been revised to ensure it can process these
statistics efficiently, and provide reports that are useful for all the relevant stakeholders. At
the same time training has been provided in methods for extracting, processing and
presenting tourism statistics.
A five-year statistics bulletin for the period 2001-2005 was published.
However, all of these procedures have also been implemented with the ultimate goal of developing
Botswana‟s first TSA, following the principles set out in the UNWTO‟s System of Tourism Statistics
(STS).
2. Recommended Methodological Framework (RMF) for the Experimental TSA
With regard to this Experimental TSA, every attempt has been made to follow the concepts set out
in the TSA: RMF published in 2001 by UNWTO et alia. It should be emphasised that the UNWTO‟s
TSA: RMF focuses upon a statistical process involving the systematic collection and compilation of
primary statistics, including sample surveys. It does not focus on economic modelling aimed at
using econometric equations for developing estimates of tourism statistics.
The benefits of using a UNWTO statistical process are that it involves a large number of
institutions in Botswana, as well as individual professionals within these institutions, cooperating
and working together to attempt to build up a statistical database that will help with key economic
decision-making for this important industry within Botswana. It is reasonable to say that the
cooperation has been excellent, both with the Reference Group (DOT, Bank of Botswana, Central
Statistics Office, and University of Botswana) and with others, e.g. HATAB (Hotel and Tourism
Association of Botswana).
In this cooperative environment the UNWTO/UNDP project has attempted to build statistical
capacity within the DOT with direct hands-on training. The intention, apart from trying to compile
accurate, coherent and transparent statistics, is to set up the TSA as an ongoing work in progress
that can be amended, modified, and enhanced to incorporate more economic information on
tourism. Also, being a statistical process, it can be implemented by DOT and key collaborating
institutes in Botswana directly, without the need for outside expertise, as would probably be
necessary in an economic modelling process such as those used by other agencies.
3. Key Statistical Inputs to the TSA
The range of statistics that have been used as inputs into the TSA process has been extensive.
The DOT has provided the Tourist Arrival Statistics, the Tourism Accommodation Statistics, and
the Sample Surveys of Visitors, Tour Operators and Tourism Suppliers. The CSO has provided a
very wide range of material from the National Accounts, the Household Income and Expenditure
Surveys, the Labour Statistics, the Transport Statistics, the Foreign Trade Statistics, the Informal
Sector Survey and the Social Accounting Matrices and others. The BOB has provided statistics on
the travel and transport accounts and the Balance of Payments. Further data came from the
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