What is the economic importance o tourism?
In October 2000 the ABS published Australian National Accounts: Tourism Satellite Account, 1997-98 (5249.0). This publication represents the first ABS attempt to put tourism into a national accounting framework. Tourism is not a conventional industry in the System of National Accounts (SNA 93). It is defined by the customer (visitor) rather than the product produced. The tourism satellite account (TSA) creates a broad picture of tourism which allows it to be compared to conventional industries like agriculture, manufacturing and retail trade. The estimates of tourism gross domestic product (TGDP) and tourism gross value added relate to the direct impact of tourism activity. This means that only the value added where there is a direct economic or physical relationship between the visitor and the producer of a good or service is included. Similarly, the employment estimates only include employment generated where visitors have a direct relationship with the producer of the good or servic
