Methodology 

The Statistics and Accounts of Tourism Companies is a structural operation designed to annually monitor companies that produce goods and services that are consumed by tourists.

The Statistics and Accounts of Tourism Companies is based on the Catalan Classification of Economic Activities 2009 (CCAE-2009). This classification is essential both for the production and the dissemination of business statistics. However, with the CCAE-2009 it is sometimes complicated to monitor some relevant sectors from the point of view of economic analysis or public policies, as the CCAE-2009 does not offer a direct delimitation of these sectors. If this extension is not made, it is unfeasible, for example, to directly monitor the effect on the business environment of economic policies addressed at sectors that are not in the CCAE-2009 (for example, the cultural or tourism sector). These delimitation difficulties may occur because these sectors are defined more by the demand side than the offer side and because they group activities that are highly disparate in terms of the CCAE-2009 (for example, including industrial as well as service activities).

This extension of classifications enables, for example, the analysis of sectors by economic destination (consumption, investment, intermediate goods), by technological level or intensity of knowledge, or by demand (tourism, cultural sector, etc.). These new sectors are frequently adapted to highly relevant economic policies. The tourism sector is a clear example.

The Statistics and Accounts of the Tourism Companies present annual data corresponding to the economic results, the employment and the innovation of these companies. In terms of the statistical sources used, these are the results of the Structural Business Statistics in the Service Sector and the Innovation in Companies Survey.

The general objective of this project is to provide statistics synthesising different sources to enable annual multidimensional monitoring of the tourism sector in a sustained manner.

According to the International Recommendations for Tourism Statistics 2008 produced by the United Nations the production of tourism statistics is required for the following reasons:

• Tourism has an impact on the economy.
• Having more than one set of reliable statistics helps to make more effective political decisions.
• These statistics enable marketing strategies to be designed.

The same Recommendations also point out that, although tourism is generated on the demand side, this demand has an impact on the offer of goods and services produced in a territory. This offer generates a set of production units or companies, whose production is aimed at the consumption of tourism. Therefore, in order to produce a complete list of statistical products related with tourism, according to the United Nations, there is a need to balance this statistical offer with those that make it possible to determine the behaviour of the units that produce tourism goods and services.

From a methodological point of view the delimitation of the tourism sector, the criteria followed are those of the tourism sector's satellite accounts in consideration that the base information can be disaggregated to the four digits of the CCAE-2009 and only the market offer is considered (see delimitation of the tourism sector).

1. Delimitation of the tourism sector

The tourism sector is highly relevant in terms of economic analysis and, in turn, is complex to delimit in terms of the classification of activities, as it has branches that form part of different sections and different services.

The delimitation of the tourism sector presents certain difficulties, because this sector does not appear in classifications of economic activities as a single activity branch. The reason for this is that tourism is determined by the use of goods and services by certain segments (demand). These goods and services are offered by a variety of activities or branches. So, the tourism sector, like the tourism industry, refers to a set of industrial or commercial activities that produce goods and services that are totally or partially consumed by foreign visitors or domestic tourists.

1.1. Characteristic activities of tourism

Although tourists can spend money on any category of product, to facilitate international comparisons and to be able to construct a system of accounts, international tourism methodologies propose that products or activities related with the displacement of people should be highlighted, such as transport, accommodation, travel agents, etc.

To produce a list of the characteristic activities of tourism, the basic criteria are those exposed in available methodologies in tourism satellite accounts and that make a classification of activities associated to tourism. These activities produce products (goods and services) that are characteristic of tourism. In principle, the aim is that the delimiting of this statistic should be as homogeneous as possible in line with the recommendations of these international methodologies.

Note that this approach could represent an under-evaluation of the activity generated by tourism, because it does not consider other economic activities that partly contribute to the activity of the tourism sector and, in the same regard, could represent an overestimation of the extent to which the considered branches develop their activity exclusively to meet touristic demands.

2. Sources of information

The information on the tourism sector presented in this publication was obtained from already existing statistical sources. In each of the tables, the data is classified by the main activity of the company; i.e. the definition of the tourism sector involved the use of a focus by sectors. In some cases, it was not possible to obtain representative results at a high level of disaggregation by activity branches. In these cases, it was decided that the results should be offered in the most disaggregated manner possible, maintaining the desired level of representativeness. The main concepts and statistical operations used are briefly described hereinafter:

The subjects covered and the sources of information used are:

• From the Structural Business Statistics in the Service Sector a series of macromagnitudes is obtained to show the production and value added of tourism companies and other variables referring to the number of companies and employment.
• The Survey on Innovation in Companies provides information on expenditure on innovation and the percentage of innovative companies.

2.1. Structural Business Statistics in the Service Sector

The Structural Business Statistics in the Service Sector (known as the Annual Services Survey until the reference year, 2014) encompasses companies engaged in trade, tourism, transport, IT, property and renting activities and services to businesses.

This source contains information on the main structural characteristics of the companies in its field. For the Statistics and Accounts of Tourism Companies, a series of economic magnitudes and items is shown that reflects the importance of the tourism sector for the Catalan economy.

Several methodological improvements were applied to the Structural Business Statistics in 2016 as part of the Project for the integration of the structural economic surveys. The results for 2016 are therefore not strictly comparable with those for previous years, as the evolution of the variables may reflect both possible actual changes in the period and the effects of the methodological improvements on the estimate of the above-mentioned variables.

In the reference year 2021 several methodological improvements are applied, in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2019/2152 of the European Parliament and of the Council, of 27 November 2019, and with Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2020/1197, of 30 July 2020.

The most significant changes affecting the Statistics and Accounts of the Tourism Companies are: the extension of the sample of Arts, entertainment and recreation (section R of the CCAE-2009; the specification of which institutional sectors are covered by the Statistics, and, finally, an improvement in the estimation of the number of companies.

Consequently, as of 2021 the results are not strictly comparable with those of previous years.

For more information on the framework and sample design of the structural business surveys, you can consult the INE methodological report.

The variables used in these Statistics are as follows:

Number of companies

Number of companies whose main economic activity belongs to the tourism field according to the established delimitation. The main economic activity is defined as the one that generates the most added value or, if this data is not available, the one that generates the highest production value or the one that employs the most persons.

Persons employed

Fixed or temporary staff who, by performing their job, contribute to the production of goods or services or carry out auxiliary services to a company (administration, transport, warehousing).

Wage-earners

Employed people that are associated to the company by a labour contract and are paid fixed or periodical amounts (salary, wage, commission, piecework or in kind).

Turnover

Sum of the amounts invoiced by the company over the reference year for the provision of services and sale of goods that are the object of the company's traffic. Sales are accounted for without including value added tax (VAT) and in net terms.

Consumption and work done by other companies

Sum of the value of consumption (purchases minus stock variation) of raw materials, other supplies and goods, and the value of work carried out by other companies or professionals in the sector. (This work must be part of their production process.)

Expenditure on exterior services

Expenditure on services of a variety of different natures and provided by third parties.

Expenditure on personnel

Expenditure on all payments made by the company to its personnel in return for their work, as well as social charges paid by the company.

2.2. Survey on Innovation in Companies

The Survey on Innovation in Companies provides information on innovation processes within companies, based on indicators enabling us to understand these processes (expenditure on innovation, economic impact, types of innovative activities, etc.). It covers all farming, industrial, construction and service companies with 10 or more employees, in other words, businesses with their main activity in sections A to S, excluding sections O and P and division 94 of the CCAE-2009.

This survey follows the recommendations of the Oslo Manual, which contains the guidelines proposed by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) to collect and interpret data on innovation.

In 2018, a methodological change was introduced by the implementation of the new 2018 revised edition of the Oslo Manual, which amended the definition of an innovative company, among other aspects, and triggered a break in the time series with respect to previous years' results.

From 2020 onwards, the Innovation in Companies Survey by INE is conducted every two years, in even years.

For the purposes of this publication, from 2018 onwards, results are provided on the following variables:

Expenditure on innovative activities

This includes the total expenditure assigned to conducting any activity related to technological innovation. It therefore includes the expenditure on in-house R&D, on the procurement of R&D (outsourced R&D) as well as that related to innovative activities other than R&D, such as:

• Procurement of equipment and machinery, software, intellectual property rights or buildings for innovative activities other than R&D
• Procurement of external knowledge (patents, licences, registered trade marks)
• Product design, design services, preparation for production/distribution
• Employee professional training and development
• Marketing activities directly related to innovation other than R&D, including market research.

The information published refers to the expenditure on innovative activities of companies which have conducted innovative activity in Catalonia, regardless of where their head offices are located.

Companies with expenditure on innovative activities

This includes companies with their head offices in Catalonia which have conducted some innovative activity in the reference year.

Companies with product innovation during the period

This includes companies that have launched a good or service on the market that differs significantly from the company's previous goods or services.

The information published refers to companies with their head offices in Catalonia which have made product innovations in the reference year or in either of the two previous years.

Companies with business process innovations during the period

It includes companies that have implemented some new or improved business process for one or more of their business functions in their activities that differ significantly from the company's previous business process. The newly incorporated business functions can be any of the following business processes:

• Manufacturing or production methods of goods or services
• Logistical systems or delivery or distribution methods
• Information or communication processing methods
• Accounting methods or other administrative operations
• Business practices for organisational procedures or external relations
• Organisational methods of labour responsibility, decision-making or human resource management
• Marketing methods for promotion, packaging, price-setting, product positioning or after-sales service

The information published refers to companies with their head offices in Catalonia which have made some kind of innovation in their business processes in the reference year or in either of the two previous years.

Companies with product innovations or business process innovations during the period

It includes companies which have made some kind of product-related technological innovation and those which have made business process innovations.

The information published is related to companies with their head offices in Catalonia which have made some kind of innovation in the reference year or in either of the two previous years.

Until 2017, the Innovation in Companies Survey followed the 2005 Oslo Manual. Therefore, the indicators that are disseminated in this publication are:

Expenditure on technological innovation

It includes the total expenditure assigned to conducting any activity related to technological innovation. It therefore includes the expenditure on in-house and external R&D, as well as that related to other technologically innovative activities.

The information published corresponds to the expenditure on technological innovation of companies which have conducted innovative activity in Catalonia, regardless of where their head offices are located.

Companies with technological innovation activities

A technological innovation is a new or substantially improved product (goods or service) launched onto the market (so-called product innovation) or the introduction into the company of a new or significantly improved process (process innovation). The activities related to technological innovation are classified as follows:

• Internal R&D tasks
• R&D acquisition (external R&D)
• Activities related to the acquisition of machinery and equipment for technologically new or improved products and processes
• Acquisition of other external knowledge for innovation
• Training in innovative activities
• Introduction of innovations onto the market
• Design and other preparations for production and/or distribution

The information published corresponds to companies with their head offices in Catalonia which have conducted an activity related to technological innovation in the reference year.

Companies with technological innovations in the period

It includes companies which have conducted an activity related to technological innovation (as outlined in the previous section) in the reference year or in either of the two previous years. It includes companies with their head offices in Catalonia.

Companies with non-technological innovations in the period

It includes both companies which have innovated in organizational aspects (implementation of new organizational methods in the company's internal operations, organization of the workplace or external relations) and those which have innovated in marketing (implementation of new commercial strategies or concepts which have not previously been used).

The information published corresponds to companies with their head offices in Catalonia which have made non-technological innovations in the reference year or in either of the two previous years.

Companies with technological and non-technological innovations in the period

It includes both companies which have made some kind of technological innovation (related to the product or process) and those which have made non-technological innovations (related to organization or marketing).

The information published corresponds to companies with their head offices in Catalonia which have made some kind of innovation in the reference year or in either of the two previous years.