[ESSnet PROJECT Tourism]

FINAL REPORT

Grant Agreement number: 30501.2009.003-2010.575

Project acronym: Tourism

Project title: Automated data collection and reporting in accommodation statistics

Period covered: 22 monthsfrom: December 2010to: 30th September 2012

Name, title and organisation of the scientific representative of the project's coordinator: María Velasco Gimeno, head of unit of tourism statistics, INE Spain

E-mail:

Project website address:

1

PART A. TECHNICAL REPORT

Executive Summary

In July 2011, the new Regulation concerning European statistics on tourism was adopted[1]. One of the main changes from Directive 95/57/EC to Regulation 692/2011 is the update of the deadline for data transmission. New rapid key indicators and new information is required. On the other hand, Principle nine in the European Statistics Code of Practice[2] is related to “Non-excessive burden on respondents”. One way to collect the necessary information faster and reducing the respondents’ burden is, for example, by using an automated data collection system, consisting of thedevelopment of an application which generates the content of an XML file from the information included in the establishment management database.

Eurostat has been supporting the use of new data collection methods that can help the NSIs as well as establishments through ESSnet projects. An ESSnet project is a network of several ESS organisations, aimed at providing results that will be beneficial to the whole ESS, and includes projects to improve data quality or to test new methods of gathering or producing information[3].

The countries involved in the ESSnet project "Automated data collection and reporting in accommodation statistics" were Spain, as coordinator, since the automated data collection system has been used since 2008, Finland, that had also already developed an XML file to collect accommodation statistics and helped with its experience, Belgium, Bulgaria, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Slovakia, that during the project developed the work needed for establishments to send an XML/XBRL file to NSIs. More information can be found in the Introduction/Summary.

The work to be carried out was divided into eight work packages, the second one being the more important, where NSIs had introduced the project to the other stakeholders such as establishments, software companies, associations, etc., the fourth one, when all the technical documents to develop the application were produced. During the fifth and sixth WPs NSIs had to make technical decisions and develop the applications needed to receive the XML files and include the data into the database. Finally, in the seventh WP the feedback report was designed, as were the tools necessary to create and send them to the establishments. Further information about the WPs can be found in the Chapter 1 Work Completion, pages 8-10.

The goal of the project was to develop a common European XML file. However, as the project was carried out, it happened to be too ambitious, and the final outcome was the development of an XML/XBRL file in each country. In the Conclusion separate detailed information about the situation in each country can be found.

Although the implementation of the system is slow, taking into account that the number of surveys using this data collection method in the European statistical offices is growing, the effort made during the project has to be maintained to try to increase the number of establishments using it. Due to budget reductions and advances in the IT field, this data collection system will become more important in the future.

Introduction/Summary

In July 2011, the Regulation (EU) No 692/2011 of the European Parliament and of the Council concerning European statistics on tourism and repealing Council Directive 95/57/EC was adopted. As mentioned in the explanatory memorandum of the Regulation, "the rapidly changing nature of the tourism market since the Directive came into force has created new or different user needs in terms of changed variables and breakdowns and more timely data".

In statistics, for any kind of variable, the more available details are, the more useful the information is. As it is well-known, tourism is a local phenomenon, therefore users of tourism statistics look for a very detailed level of breakdown figures.

The crucial role that tourism plays in generating growth and jobs in the European Union makes essential the availability of quality and timely statistics in order to make the right decision not only at macroeconomic level, but also at microeconomic level. On the other hand, the level of additional requirements, especially information from businesses, is intended to keep the overall burden stable or even to reduce it.

Nowadays, almost all hotels and similar establishments have installed management software in their check-in desks, where the main information of the guests is recorded when they check in. Those databases contain most of the necessary information to fulfil the establishments' statistical obligations, but the amount of data is too large to be provided using the normal procedures for data collection.

However, in the last few decades new technologies have made possible new data collection modes which have noticeably improved tourism statistics. In particular, automated data collection is nowadays a reality under different possible formats such as XML (eXtensible Markup Language) orXBRL(eXtensible Business Reporting Language) bringing clear advantages into the official statistics production process such as improvement of timeliness, punctuality and international comparability, the increase in data quality and reduction of response burden. Using an automated data collection system, all the statistical information held at check-in desks generate automatically an XML file which is sent to the NSI, where it is included in the database to provide the monthly figures.

A sign of the importance of automated data collection methods is that in recent years more countries are implementing them to collect business surveys, as a way to improve the statistical business process together with the emergence of e-surveys.

According to the different Regulations affecting tourism statistics (Regulation 692/2011, Regulation 223/2009), it is up to the Member States to decide how to collect data, but Eurostat has been supporting the use of new data collection methods that can help NSIs as well as establishments.

In this way, the ESSnet project "Automated data collection and reporting in accommodation statistics" was launched in December 2010. All the information about the ESSnet project and the technical information about the different Work Packages can be found in the following link:

The main aim of the project was to agree on a common XML file structure useful for the European countries. During the project every country listed not only the variables needed to fulfil the European statistical requirements included in the Regulation 692/2011, but also the national statistical requirements. The final result was that this common file aim could not be achieved for a number of reasons: different national tourism characteristics and laws, national statistical needs vary widely from one country to another and some variables and breakdowns differ broadly across countries.

During the 22 months of the project, the group carried out a research on the existing software installed in the tourism accommodation establishments and held meetings with software companies, hotel chains, associations and establishments to present the project to them and also to get information about the type of information recorded in management software, to analyze how to develop the new data collection system.

After that, and using as basic guidelines the report created in the third sub-action, each country designed the structure of the XML file, including the variables, breakdowns, validation rules and all the information needed for a software programmer to develop a new application in management packages to create the XML file.

Once each country designed the XML file, it was time to analyse on the one hand the different methods (mainly two: web service and by uploading the file manually) used to receive the data collected by XML files into the NSI database and to develop the software needed to include the data received using this means of collecting data (some countries built a website in this Work Package where the establishments could upload the files and to include the technical information). On the other hand, countries also had to analyse different ways of introducing the data collected by XML files in the structure already existing in each country and decide which will be used.

One thing that still has not been mentioned is the effort, in terms of time and/or money, establishments have to make to implement this automated data collection system. A way of expressing gratitude to establishments is by sending them a feedback report including information useful to them. Thus, in the seventh Work Package, countries had to develop an automated system to generate these customised reports to establishments that had previously sent XML files. In some countries the reports are also sent automatically by mail to the establishments, in other cases they are uploaded via a websiteand establishments can download them.

The advantages of this data collection system are manifold:

-The main one for establishments is the significant reduction in response burden. Once the establishment’s software is adapted to generate the XML file they have to simply 'press a button' and their statistical obligations will be fulfilled. This way they can benefit in economic terms from the time saved. Besides, if they also receive feedback reports containing useful information the benefit is increased. These feedback reports can also work to keep in touch with establishments and ascertain their needs.

-For NSIs the advantages are numerous and all relate to the improvement in quality of the data in the sense that as the file is automatically generated, there is no chance of errors when providing and recording the data:

  • Validation is performed before the XML file is included in the NSI database, and should the validation rules not be complied with, data is not included in the base. There is also no need for imputation, as the file contains all the information required. Furthermore, this data collection method can increase the quantity of supplied data, for example in the case of Spain, establishment send detailed information for each and every day, while the paper questionnaire contains detailed information for only seven days. This could entail a better dissemination, with the possibility of publishing data for shorter periods of time than the monthly estimates or even a bigger breakdown in the list of travellers' countries of origin.
  • Data is available as soon as the establishment sends the file so timeliness and punctuality are improved. Another consequence of this is that the simplification process also reduces the costs for NSIs, consequently, staff can be assigned to other tasks. Data recording errors can also be avoided.
  • International comparability is assured, as the list of classifications is the same in every country.
  • To sum up, quality of the collected data is increased and the statistical process is improved.

Once a NSI has developed the applications and software needed to establish the automated collection system, establishments can send the XML/XBRL files monthly. The establishments that use this data collection method normally do not switch to other methods (paper questionnaire, e-survey, etc.) because of the convenience of the automated system. Moreover, countries that have developed this system can broaden the number of surveys using it.

Due to the advantages of this system, countries themselves are interested in having a larger number of establishments using it and occasionally create new strategies to increase the number of users. The successful strategies are maintained over time. Some of these strategies are:

-Informative mails, informative phone calls and information via the post office, including an example of the feedback report, are sent regularly to hotel chains, tourism federations and tourist administrations by NSIs. In some countries like Latvia the establishments are encouraged, informed and asked to use the XML upload by the software developer.

-Meetings with establishment staff and software providers to introduce the data collection method.

-The development by public organisms of PMS for small establishments which includes the software needed to create the XML file.

-Grants to establishments to try to increase the number of users of this collection method.

-Work on the "welcome screen" containing information on the possibility of using automated methodsof creation and sending required monthly data for all establishments using Reporting Gateway is being undertaken.

-At the beginning of 2013 in Poland, one-off monthly feedback reports for all establishments surveyed during the project implementation will be created, to motivate and encourage them to use automated data collection.

-Paper form of information on the new method will be attached to the publication concerning tourism in Poland and in Finland there have been also a couple of articles in the magazines relating to tourism.

The list of the eight partners with the corresponding contact names is:

Partner Number / Partner name / Partner
short name / Country / Contact name
1 (Co-ordinator) / Instituto Nacional de Estadística / INE / SPAIN / MARÍA VELASCO GIMENO
2 (Co-partner) / Statistics Finland / Tilastokeskus / STATFIN / FINLAND / JUHA-PEKKA KONTINEN
3 (Co-partner) / Central Statistical Office / CSO / POLAND / DOROTA JASIUKIEWICZ
4 (Co-partner) / Central Statistical Bureau / CSB / LATVIA / DITA VIRSE
5 (Co-partner) / National Statistical Institute of Bulgaria / BNSI / BULGARIA / LIDIA SANDEVA
6 (Co-partner) / Direction générale «Statistiques et Information économique» / DGSIE / BELGIUM / HADEWYCH DE SADELEER
7 (Co-partner) / Department of Statistics to the Government of the Republic of Lithuania / Statistics Lithuania / LITHUANIA / ZITA SERAFINIENE
8 (Co-partner) / Statistical Office of the Slovak Republic / SO SR / SLOVAKIA / jana miklovicova

Due to the work involved in the project, some countries have developed their own website. The links and the information included in them are as follows:

Belgium:

It will include the technical information about the XBRL. Establishments use the link to introduce or copy their data within the Websurvey (manually) or to upload the XBRL file.

Finland:

It includes a description of the monthly enquiry and general information such as description, target group, data protection and frequency. In addition, there are questionnaires and instructions relating to data collection.

Latvia:

After a respondent has been registered by the NSI, the respondent using user ID and password may have access to the XML file upload. The respondent may, after registration, have the general schema and a schema specific to accommodation establishments if they need to know the requirements of the XML file.

Poland:

This is the main site used to fill in an electronic questionnaire online with the option of uploading a prepared XML file with survey data. It contains only reporting specific information and any technical information is available on demand (necessary contact emails and phone numbers are provided). It is planned to place the XML Schema next to electronic questionnaire for registration data on-line and to include it in the management software of tourist accommodation establishments.

Spain:

It includes technical information about the XML file in hotel establishments, holiday dwellings and rural tourism accommodations. Establishments use the link to upload the XML files.

Lithuania:

This is the main site of the automated system. It will include the technical information about the Websurvey system. Establishments, connected to the system, will use another direct link (now accessed only by local software testers) to enter their data or to upload the XML (or XLS) file to the Websurvey system.

1.Work Completion

Work Package 1: Management

INE Spain was in charge of the overall coordination of the project and also had to organise the three meetings that took place in Madrid and the Workshop in Luxembourg. More information can be found in section 2. Dissemination actions towards the ESS and in the Part B of the report.

Work Package 2: Research the management software packages that are installed in hotels in each country.

During this Work Package, the coordinator provided the rest of the countries with a list of European software companies and examples of letters to send to software companies and hotel chains to arrange meetings with them to explain the project to them. The countries also gathered information about the collected variables and aggregation level in the establishments’ PMS. In these meetings, the countries also introduced the feedback reports to the establishments that could at that moment transmit the variables they considered most relevant to be included in the reports.