The economic impact of tourism across regions and nations of the UK

SUMMARYThis article reports on work undertaken by the Tourism Intelligence Unit lTIUr1, based within Office for National Statistics lONSr, to measure the economic impact of tourism at the regional level. The methodologies and data analysis presented look at the demand and supply components of tourism with the aim of providing a reliable measure of the regional Gross Value Added lGVAr of tourism. Two measures of GVA have been identified as international best practise2. GVA of the tourismdrelated industries lGVAdTIr provides a robust measure of the total supplydside value of those industries which meet the demand of tourists las well as of residentsr. However, Tourism Direct Gross Value Added lTDdGVAr is recommended as the principle indicator of the regional value of tourism as it moderates the value TDdGVA in the light of the proportion of consumption made by tourists las distinct from consumption made by residents in those industriesr.