Tourism Statistics Program - September 2010

Consultation objectives

This study was designed to provide the Tourism and the Centre for Education Statistics Division with client feedback on the quality of the Tourism Statistics Program and related services to help the division better understand clients’ needs and priorities.

In addition to ongoing discussions with the partners who provide program feedback, the Tourism Statistics Program conducted a client satisfaction survey in September 2010.

Consultation methodology

An electronic questionnaire was developed in both official languages that allowed respondents to evaluate the programs and services. Satisfaction and importance were rated on a 5-point scale from low (1) to high (5) and respondents were invited to provide comments.

Invitations to participate in the survey were sent to 481 clients of the Tourism Statistics Program.

How to get involved

This consultation is now closed.

Individuals who wish to obtain more information or to take part in a consultation should contact Statistics Canada through the Statistical Information Service.

Please note that Statistics Canada selects participants for each consultation to ensure feedback from a representative sample of the target population for the study. Not all applicants are asked to participate in a given consultation.

Results

Overall, client satisfaction was positive with respect to the Tourism Statistics Program. Documentation (information about concepts, sources, methods and data quality) and ease of use of the material received the highest satisfaction ratings. Most respondents agreed that the tourism statistics allowed them to better understand the trends and issues of the tourism sector and helped them to make more informed decisions.

Two products were evaluated: Travel Survey of Residents of Canada (TSRC) standard tables and International Travel, an annual publication based on the International Travel Survey (ITS). Most respondents rated the two products as important or critical—TSRC (83%), International Travel (84%).

The lowest satisfaction result was for the timeliness of the data. Comments were informative, but varied. Concerns were expressed with the timeliness of the TSRC estimates for 2006 and 2007. Information gaps were identified for both ITS and TSRC.

Many respondents would like to see the scope, timeliness and the level of detail of the data improved. Data at the provincial and municipal levels, as well as a quicker turnaround for all data, was also requested.

Statistics Canada thanks participants for their participation in this consultation. Their insights guide the Agency’s web development and ensure that the final products meet users’ expectations.