Current Status and System of Collecting Tourism Statistics in Vietnam.


In addition to organizing information collection according to statistical reporting regime, since 2003, the General Statistics Office in coordination with the General Department of Tourism has organized a number of specialized surveys on tourism such as Survey on expenditure of international tourists to Vietnam, Survey on expenditure of domestic tourists in Vietnam, Survey on tourist accommodation establishments... The documents collected from specialized surveys have partly met the requirements for research information and calculation of a number of key indicators in the tourism satellite account.

In addition, the Vietnamese statistical sector has implemented the compilation of the National Accounts System nationwide since 1993. This is an important premise for Vietnam Statistics to approach research on Tourism Satellite Accounts.

2.2.2 Difficulties


Besides the advantages that have been created as a premise for compiling a tourism satellite account in Vietnam, there are still some difficulties in terms of information sources, staff, and the organization of the compilation of a tourism satellite account:

- About the source of information for compiling the tourism satellite account


The characteristic of tourism activities is that they are not activities of an independent economic sector but are the integration of many activities from many different economic sectors. Compared with the 2007 Vietnam economic sector classification system issued together with Decision No. 10/2007/QD TTg dated January 23, 2007 of the Prime Minister, Vietnam's tourism activities are related to the following economic sectors:

+ Level II industry No. 47 – Retail activities (except for automobiles, motors, and motorbikes with different engines) belongs to level I industry group G.

+ Level II industry No. 49 - Railway and road transport activities and No. 50 - water transport and No. 51 - air transport belong to level I industry group H

+ Level II industry number 55 - Accommodation service activities and number 56 - Food and beverage services belong to level I industry group I.


+ Level II industry No. 79 – Activities of travel agencies, tour businesses and support services related to promoting and organizing tours belong to level I industry group N.

+ Level II industry number 93 - Sports and entertainment activities belong to level I industry group R.

+ Level II industry number 96 – Other personal service activities belonging to level I industry group S.

Because it involves so many sectors, tourism statistics generally face many difficulties. Vietnam's tourism statistics currently mainly focus on collecting data reflecting an overview of business performance and conditions of tourism business activities, including a general summary of activities of all sectors. Thus, if we only stop at collecting tourism statistics as it is now, there will be the following limitations:

+ The annual tourism performance results cannot be fully calculated to assess the position and role of tourism in the national economy. This is because the related sectors cannot separate the supply for tourism activities, so the contribution of each economic sector to the tourism performance results cannot be fully calculated, which sector occupies a larger position and contributes more to tourism activities.

+ There is not enough data to accurately calculate the aggregate indicators in the national accounts system such as production value, intermediate costs, added value... by industry as well as aggregate in the scope of the entire national economy, which means that there may be both omissions and double counting.

In addition, due to some concepts, methodologies and methods of calculating tourism statistical indicators that are not yet understood in a unified manner and are not in accordance with international practices, tourism statistical data collected and calculated are


Sometimes there are also certain differences, which somewhat reduce the significance of the statistics.

Current reporting and statistical investigation regimes do not yet meet the information requirements for the full calculation of tables according to the tourism satellite account proposed by UNWTO.

- About the staff doing statistical work


The number of researchers and staff who are knowledgeable about the tourism satellite account is still small, so the compilation of the Vietnam Tourism Satellite Account is still difficult. In addition, the team doing tourism statistics is also too small, not commensurate with the tasks and requirements of providing information for the Tourism Satellite Account.

- About implementation


There is no close coordination between sectors and functional agencies in providing relevant information for compiling tourism satellite accounts in Vietnam.

2.3 Sources of information for compiling tourism satellite accounts in Vietnam


2.3.1 Current status and system of collecting tourism statistics in Vietnam.

2.3.1.1 System of legal documents on tourism statistics


Vietnam tourism statistics are currently carried out based on the following legal documents:

- The Periodic Statistical Reporting Regime for Commerce, Hotels, Restaurants, Travel and Services is issued under the Accounting and Statistics Ordinance (Decision No. 734/2002/QD-TCTK dated November 15, 2002 of the General Director of the General Statistics Office).


- The regime of periodic statistical reports of State-owned enterprises is issued according to Decision No. 62/2003/BKH of the Minister of Planning and Investment.

- Law on Statistics promulgated by the President on June 26, 2003


- Law on Tourism promulgated by the President on June 27, 2005


- Decree No. 40/2004/ND-CP dated February 13, 2004 of the Government detailing and guiding the implementation of a number of articles of the Law on Statistics.

- Decision 305/2005/QD-TTg dated November 24, 2005 of the Prime Minister on promulgating the National Statistical Indicator System.

- Decision No. 144/208/QD-TTg dated October 29, 2008 of the Prime Minister on promulgating the National Statistical Survey Program (including 1 survey specializing in tourist indicators and 1 survey on business results of non-state enterprises and individual units doing business in commerce, hotels, restaurants, tourism, and services).

- Decision No. 43/2010/QD-TTg dated June 2, 2010 of the Prime Minister promulgating the National Statistical Indicator System replacing the National Statistical Indicator System promulgated in 2005.

2.3.1.2 Tourism statistical indicators system in the National statistical indicators system

The tourism statistical indicators system is stipulated in the National Statistical Indicators System issued under Decision No. 43/2010/QD-TTg dated June 2, 2010 of the Prime Minister, including 7 indicators. Compared to the national statistical indicators system issued in 2005, this tourism statistical indicators system has added 1 indicator, which is Tourism Service Revenue.

Some basic regulations on 7 tourism statistical indicators in the national statistical indicator system are presented in table 2.6 below.


Table 2.6 Tourism statistical indicators system in the National statistical indicators system

CODE

GROUP, INDICATOR NAME

MAIN GROUPING

Period

ANNOUNCEMENT

AGENCY RESPONSIBLE FOR COLLECTION

FIT

INDICATORS IN THE QGTTK SYSTEM

ACTION 2005

1808

Tourism service revenue

Economic sector (agencies, tours and support services), province/city

Month, quarter, year

General Statistics

lump

Are not

1809

Number of foreigners coming to Vietnam.

Purpose, nationality, means.

Month, quarter, year

Ministry of Public Security, Ministry of National Defense

distribution room

in accordance with TCTK

Have

1810

Number of Vietnamese people going abroad.

Vehicle

Month, quarter, year

Ministry of Public Security, Ministry of National Defense in coordination with General Statistics Office.

Have

1811

Number of domestic tourists

Type of accommodation, destination province/city.

Month, quarter, year

General Statistics

lump

Have

1812

Spending of international visitors to Vietnam.

Spending type, nationality

Year

General Statistics

lump

Have

1813

Domestic tourist spending.

Type of expenditure, type of accommodation.

Year

General statistics

lump

Have

1814

Existing and newly increased capacity of accommodation establishments.

Economic type, class/type of facility, province/city.

Year

General Statistics.

lump

Have

Maybe you are interested!

Current Status and System of Collecting Tourism Statistics in Vietnam.


With the above 7 indicators plus the statistical indicators developed by the General Department of Tourism to serve the management requirements of the Industry as well as many other requirements from a general statistical perspective, if Vietnam Statistics collects and synthesizes fully and is divided in detail as prescribed in the National Statistical Indicator System, it will ensure a very important part of information serving the establishment of tables in the Tourism Satellite Account as proposed in the thesis. However, in reality, the data of the above indicators is still lacking, mainly there is only data on indicators reflecting the number of international tourists coming to Vietnam, the number of Vietnamese tourists going abroad, the number of domestic tourists in Vietnam, and the tourism service revenue indicator. The new revenue indicator is divided according to the revenue of accommodation establishments and travel agencies. However, the indicators on the number of visitors have not been divided according to the nature of the guests' stay (overnight visitors and day visitors). As for the indicators on spending levels of international tourists (1812) and domestic tourists (1813), they have not yet been calculated to be published in the annual statistical data system.

In addition to the tourism statistical indicators in the National Statistical Indicator System mentioned above, recently, the General Department of Tourism (the agency that manages and operates tourism activities) has conducted research to collect additional information and calculated a number of statistical indicators on tourism activities such as average spending per day, average spending per visitor, average number of days of stay per visitor. These indicators are calculated in detail for each type of visitor. These indicators are the basis for determining the total consumption of visitors as well as calculating the consumption structure according to the content of expenditure as a premise for calculating the indicators in the tourism satellite account. However, this is still in the pilot phase, not done regularly and the data is patchy, not comprehensive and not systematic.

2.3.1.3 System for organizing the collection of tourism statistics


Basically, the work of organizing the collection of tourism statistics is currently carried out by two statistical organization systems:


* Centralized statistics

- Central level: The collection of tourism statistics is the responsibility of the tourism statistics department under the Department of Trade, Services and Prices of the General Statistics Office.

- Provincial and municipal level: Tourism statistics are handled by the statistics department of the Department of Trade, Services and Prices Statistics - Provincial and municipal statistical offices.

* Ministry and industry statistics

- Central level: Managed by the Tourism Statistics Department of the Department of Planning and Finance, General Department of Tourism.

- Provincial and municipal level: Depending on the organization of each locality, the tourism statistics department may belong to the general department, accounting department, tourism management department, planning department of the Department of Tourism, Department of Trade and Tourism of provinces and cities.

About the information collection function at each level:

- Central level:

+ Research, develop and promulgate a system of indicators on tourism statistics.

+ Disseminate and provide guidance on statistical operations to tourism business units and data synthesis agencies at the provincial level.

+ Monitor, inspect and urge the implementation of tourism statistical reporting regime nationwide.

+ Organize statistical surveys on tourism within and outside the National Statistical Survey Program.

+ Collect, synthesize and publish tourism statistics of the whole country.

- Provincial and city level:


+ Receive professional guidance on statistics from the Central level, disseminate and guide statistical techniques to grassroots units operating in tourism business.


+ Monitor, inspect and urge the implementation of tourism statistical reporting regime in the province and city.

+ Conduct tourism statistical surveys within and outside the National Statistical Survey Program at the provincial and municipal level.

+ Collect, synthesize data, implement statistical reporting regime for the Central level, publish tourism statistics of the Province and City.

2.3.1.4 Forms of organization for collecting tourism statistics


To collect and report information on tourism activities, Vietnam currently applies two traditional forms of information collection: Periodic statistical reporting and specialized surveys, including both comprehensive surveys and sample surveys.

- Periodic statistical reports


This is a traditional method of collecting statistical information that has been applied for a long time in our country. Currently, the periodic statistical reporting regime is still applied to economic establishments that are tourism businesses and tourist accommodation establishments. With the form of organizing information collection according to periodic statistical reports, the information collected is often updated regularly every month, quarter, and year. The main indicators are collected systematically, comprehensively and quite fully. This is an important source of information reflecting tourism activities. However, with this form, the number of collected indicators is still very limited, mainly volume indicators and can only be applied to a number of large enterprises and state management agencies. However, applying it to the non-state economic sector, small scale and especially private households is very difficult to implement and ineffective. Furthermore, periodic reports are only applicable to tourism service providers, not to tourists.

Indicators collected from periodic statistical reports include:


+ Number of international visitors to Vietnam

Comment


Agree Privacy Policy *