Helen Keogh
Question:15 Ms Keogh asked the Minister for Tourism and Trade if he has satisfied himself with the reliability of tourist statistics; and whether he has any proposals for changes in their compilation.
Ceisteanna — Questions. Oral Answers. - Tourism Statistics.
Compilation and publication of tourism statistics is the responsibility of the Central Statistics Office, who keep the system subject to continual review and refinement.
That is not a satisfactory answer. Would the Minister accept that the way we calculate tourism numbers is out of date and very suspect? This is highlighted by the fact that business people who travel to the United Kingdom — some may do so up to three times a week — on each return journey are counted as a tourist.
Hear, hear.
That is a farcical system and is grossly unsatisfactory. It is because of the way we compile our statistics that we are unable to categorise tourists. Would the Minister accept that it is important that we do so so that we can tailor our tourism product and our infrastructural development? We should know why we are attracting certain categories of tourists and we should also be able to analyse where we are weak. We should match the product development to the categories of tourists.
This is a very important issue. Would the Minister agree that some other method should be found for analysing tourism statistics and that this should be treated as a matter of urgency?
In my reply I stated that this is the responsibility of the Central Statistics Office who keep the system subject to continual review and refinement. It may surprise the Deputy to know that since I became Minister for Tourism and Trade I asked how these figures were compiled. Over the years I would have treated some of the figures given by the Central Statistics Office with disbelief. A similar parliamentary question was tabled in 1990 and an interdepartmental committee comprising the then Department of Tourism, Transport and Communications, the Department of Finance, the Department of the Taoiseach, CERT, Bord Fáilte and the Central Statistics Office was set up to look at how the figures were being compiled. That interdepartmental committee concluded that the compilation of these statistics was satisfactory. However, I will have a further look at the matter. I did raise it in the Department shortly after being appointed and the information I received then was that it had been investigated and that the inter-Departmental committee was satisfied with the compilation of statistics. I can give details to the Deputy as to how the figures are arrived at by the Central Statistics Office. It operates a country of residence survey and a passenger card of inquiry, and thousands of people are surveyed. This is a matter on which I have not a closed mind but I was somewhat taken aback that some years ago an investigation was made into this matter by high powered people who concluded that it was satisfactory. There is not much point in carrying out another investigation so soon again. However I will have another look at this method, which was regarded three years ago by the committee to be fool-proof, because I am interested in getting the information in question. I believe strongly that if you do not have the market figures, whether you are in the car business, the insurance business or whatever, you will not operate satisfactorily, The data must be available in order to avail of the markets.
I would ask the Minister to commit himself to doing a little more than having a look at the matter again. I put it to him that in order to prepare plans it is most important for a Minister for tourism to be able to identify who is and who is not a tourist. Perhaps the Minister would commit himself to reporting back to the House on this matter within a defined period of, say, six months.
Part of the methodology used by the Central Statistics Office, which is not part of my Department, is the passenger card of inquiry by which respondents are asked to indicate, by ticking the appropriate box on the inquiry card, the reason for their journey, be it business, visit to relatives, as a tourist or other. A country of residence survey is also carried out and a couple of hundreds of thousands of people are surveyed in this regard, which in statistical terms is a very high ratio. The Central Statistics Office which is not under my remit has statutory responsibility for compiling figures. As I said earlier, I was surprised that some years ago this matter was investigated and was found to be satisfactory. Therefore, when all the experts agree in this regard there is not much point in the current Minister carrying out another investigation.
I thank the Minister for this attitude in relation to the matter and I hope he considers seriously how we can best use the available information. I do not doubt the accuracy of the Central Statistics Office figures in terms of body counts and movements. I think everyone would agree that these figures are accurate but we do not know what they are telling us. It is essential that we break down the figures, particularly as they relate to Irish emigrants — a matter which is a bone of contention — with what we may be providing in this area and how we will develop the plan the Minister spoke about in his previous question. We should have specific information on the number of tourists coming here as well as trying to ascertain why people choose other destinations. It is only then we can begin to build a proper basis for the development of the tourist industry.
I would point out that Bord Fáilte carry out separate surveys, independent of the Central Statistics Office, and very often their figures do not coincide with those of the Central Statistics Office. The spending figure per tourist is often a bone of contention in that the CSO use one method in arriving at the figure while Bord Fáilte use another. The matter of the independent assessment can be considered also. However, the Central Statistics Office is responsible for the overall compilation of national statistics.
Will the Minister communicate the information when he has carried out the review?
No. 16 please, Deputy De Rossa's question.