Secondary Data Analysis in Leisure and Tourism Research Chapter 4 1.

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Secondary Data Analysis in Leisure and Tourism Research

Chapter 4

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Learning Outcomes

At the end of this chapter you will be able to:• appreciate the differences between primary and

secondary data• understand the difference between secondary data

collection and analysis• identify some of the major sources of leisure and

tourism data• assess the advantages and limitations of conducting

secondary data analysis • provide an evaluation of secondary data analysis

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What is secondary data analysis?

• The phrase refers to the analysis of information collected for a purpose other than that of the researcher, in this sense the researcher becomes the secondary user of the data.

• We can contrast this with primary data, which is original data generated by new research using techniques such as surveys, interviews or observations.

• Most research will include an element of secondary data collection to discover what work has already been carried out on a particular subject.

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• This is a necessary first step in any research design.

• This is an important point we should always consult secondary sources of information before we start collecting primary data

• A great deal of time, effort and money can therefore be saved if you are aware of available data.

• So, secondary data collection should always come before primary data collection

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• The word 'analysis' in the title is the key one. • When carrying out this type of research, we

are not just collecting information and reproducing it in similar or identical form; we are re-working the data to address our main research objectives.

• Secondary data analysis is 'any further analysis of an existing dataset which presents interpretations, conclusions, or knowledge.

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• This method usually refers to the analysis of quantitative data (official statistics) generated usually by surveys or a process of registration, although time - budget data can also be used.

• The term secondary analysis can, however, also be applied to the analysis of diaries, letters, reports, television and radio broadcasts etc.

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The potential of secondary data analysis

Some suggestions for possible research projects using secondary data analysis in order to increase our awareness of the potential of this approach;1. We can use secondary data analysis to examine

trends over time. • For example, we may wish to examine visitor

numbers at seaside resorts since the 2. World War in Europe..

• Using this data we could also predict future trends by using some of the statistical forecasting techniques.

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• Similarly, the leisure researcher might wish to look at trends in participation in particular sports to examine whether there has been a shift from team sports to individual pursuits.

2. We can use secondary data analysis to undertake before and after studies looking at the impacts of a particular piece of legislation, or of a new policy, or of a specific event.

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• For example, what has been the impact of the departure tax on flights? What impact did a particular terrorist outrage have on tourism in that area?

3. We can explore relationships through the use of secondary data analysis.

• For example, is there a relationship between social class and patterns of tourist activity?

• Alternatively, we could test the hypotheses that the type and intensity of leisure activity vary according to gender, age and socio - economic grouping.

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4. We can 'map' areas of the Country using secondary data.

• For example, you could look at areas of 'honey pot' tourism activity; or

• membership lists could be used to map membership patterns as part of a marketing campaign for a health and fitness studio

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5. Using census data, the manager of a leisure facility could undertake a catchment area study, and also investigate penetration rates to see what proportion of target market segments is being attracted to the facility.

6. A feasibility study for a new leisure facility could be undertaken by combining census data with participation rate data from a national survey

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7. We can make international comparisons through secondary data analysis. For example, you could compare levels and trends in second-break tourism in Turkey with those in Greece.

8. We can look at the use of time-budget research to explore how people classify and use their leisure time, and therefore track changes in the use of time over a certain period.

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Secondary data for leisure and tourism

• We live in the information age. • Information never goes away, it just gets

added to, and at an exponential rate. • The amount of information out there, if only

we knew where it all was and had the time and money to access it all, is frighteningly large.

• We cannot possibly become familiar with all available sources of information.

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Secondary data for leisure and tourism

• Our task is to familiarize ourselves with the most important and accessible sources of data.

• Most of the available data is quantitative in nature i.e. details of tourist numbers, tourist nights, tourist expenditure and leisure participation rates.

• Sources of such data include international bodies, central and local government, non-governmental organisations and commercial organisations.

• These are discussed below;

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International tourism data

• International bodies put together data from central government organisations and national statistical services.

• Arguably the 2 most important sources for tourism are the World Tourism Organization and Eurostat.

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The World Tourism Organization (UNWTO)

• Based in Madrid, the WTO's main publication is the Yearbook of Tourism Statistics.

• Data is provided by region (e.g. Central America) and by country, and includes arrivals at frontiers or in accommodation establishments, mode of transport, accommodation capacity (i.e. rooms and bed-spaces) and tourism receipts and expenditure.

• The data is provided over a period of several years, and so trends can be observed.

• The data is also available by the country of origin of the visitor.

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Eurostat

• Eurostat is The Statistical Office of the European Communities and produces data not just on European Union countries but also on members of the European Economic Area (EU).

• Its publication Tourism in Europe includes both supply-side data and data on tourism demand.

• On the supply side the data covers tourist accommodation, restaurants, cafes and bars, travel agencies and other tourist-related activities.

• The data on tourism demand looks at holiday patterns and the main tourism generating countries, and at inbound tourism.

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Eurostat• Country reports are then provided for all European

Union and European Free Trade Association member states.

• Each country report has three main sections:1. General Situation and Key Indicators: Development

and Impact of Tourism2. Tourism Supply3. Tourism Demand• Much of the data is broken down by region within

countries and began in 1980.

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Government statistics on tourism

• Government, at both national and local level, provides a range of tourism statistics.

• Statistics collected by the state and its agencies are usually referred to as 'official statistics'.

• Some examples from the tourism sector are set out in Table 4.1 and are discussed below.

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Table 4.1: Sources of National Statistical data on tourism

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Commercial sources of tourism data

• Given the economic importance of tourism globally, commercial provision of tourism data is more important, and more extensive, than in many other areas of research.

• Companies require and generate, data on areas such as market trends, tourist satisfactions, employment and expenditure on tourism.

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• Commercial sources of tourism data fall into two broad categories

1. Data that can be purchased from commercial research organizations , and

2. Data generated by tourism companies themselves as part of their normal operating procedures.

• Both are discussed below.

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• Euromonitor specialize in international consumer market analysis, and part of their port folio includes travel and tourism.

• Their reports are based on a combination of primary and secondary data.

• Travel and Tourism Intelligence (TTI) is the former travel and tourism division of the Economist Intelligence Unit

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• As well as the commercial research companies, tourism organizations generate a mountain of information as part of their normal operating procedures.

• This includes things like visitor numbers, occupancy rates, employment records, satisfaction survey data.

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• One source of information on commercial organizations that is readily available is the company annual report.

• These provide a wealth of information, particularly financial statistics, and most of the major leisure and tourism companies will be happy to send you a copy.

• The financial pages of the broadsheet newspapers are similarly rich in financial data.

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International leisure data

• The data generated covers visitor numbers and patterns, the age, gender, employment status and socio-economic grouping of trail users, attitudes, accommodation used, transport taken and expenditure.

• As a standard methodology is used, comparisons between National Trails are possible.

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Commercial sources of leisure data

• Euromonitor also produce a range of reports that would be of interest to the leisure researcher.

• Topics have included an analysis of the international markets for leisure goods such as television and video, alcoholic and soft drinks, clothing, caravans and camping equipment, gardening, consumer catering and consumer lifestyles.

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Using the Internet as a source of secondary data

• The amount of information available on the Internet is growing at a phenomenal rate, and there is no doubt that it is becoming a very important resource for researchers as more and more organizations make information available in this way.

• In 1989 there were just 130,000 host computers connected to the Internet.

• This figure had risen to 6,600,000 in 1995, and was an incredible 29,600,000 in 1998.

• The volume of Internet traffic is doubling every 100 days

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Using the Internet as a source of secondary data

We have some tips for using the Internet. • First of all, surfing the Internet can waste a

great deal of time. • The paradox is that the more sources of

information that exist, the harder it becomes to find the information.

• We need to develop search strategies that minimise the amount of wasted time and effort.

• We need to know what it is we are looking for before we start.

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The advantages of secondary data analysis

• It forces the researcher to think more closely about the theoretical aims and substantive issues of the study rather than the practical and methodological problems of collecting new data.

• It shifts the focus from individual data subjects to a broader analysis of social conditions and change.

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• It allows us to merge data from various sources in order to provide larger and more useable data sets, taking care of course to ensure that the data are compatible e.g. consistent definitions are used.

• Different individual data sets can also be used to test the same hypothesis thus establishing reliability if the same results are achieved.

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• This analysis also appeals for many practical reasons, not the least of which is the fact that it requires less time and effort to collect the data, making it much cheaper than most primary data collection.

• Freed from the time and effort involved in financing and obtaining primary data, the secondary data analyst can devote more of both to analysis and interpretation.

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• It also offers a more flexible approach in that, subject to any deadlines, it can usually be carried out as and when it suits the researcher, and over long time periods.

• Having said that, secondary data analysis is also useful if quick results are needed and there is insufficient time to plan and conduct primary research.

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• Another attraction is that much of the data covers long time periods, thus allowing us to examine trends over time.

• Time can thus be used as a variable in the research.

• The generation of time-series data is by definition a costly and time-consuming exercise taking it beyond the resources of most researchers.

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• Secondary data analysis can also be used as a means of comparison against information collected by other methods, and it also allows researchers from different disciplines to bring fresh perspectives to a topic.

• Finally, official statistics 'may be the only source of data on the topic in question‘.

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Problems and issues in undertaking secondary data analysis

• Most of the problems associated with using leisure and tourism data arise from the fact that they have been collected for a particular purpose, usually an administrative one, and may not therefore be 'neutral' or in a form that the researcher would ideally like them to be.

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Problems and issues

• Government departments, tourism companies and tourism organizations have a vested interest in showing the economic importance of tourism, for example, whereas environmental pressure groups may be more concerned with highlighting the negative impacts associated with tourism development.

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Problems and issues

• Specific issues concerning the use of secondary data are discussed under three broad headings:

1. Problems of definition and reference periods

2. Collection methods3. The form and reporting of secondary

data

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Problems of definition and reference periods

• Different organizations may still be using different definitions of tourism or related concepts.

• Comparisons between data sets thus become full of difficulties.

• For example, the International Passenger Survey defines a 'visit' as a stay of 0 - 365 nights, whereas the United Kingdom Tourism Survey defines a 'visit' as a stay of 1 - 60 days.

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• Most definitions of tourism require a person to be away from their normal place of residence for at least one night.

• For example, the WTO and the United Nations Statistical Commission define tourism as 'The activities of persons travelling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes'

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• The problem of different 'reference periods' can arise when attempting to compare leisure data sets.

• Clearly, the greater the reference period the higher the participation rates will appear.

• Having a one-year reference period has the advantage of tackling seasonality, but the disadvantage of requiring accurate recall over a long period of time.

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• Some surveys, include short time periods (4 weeks) and lengthy ones (12 months) within which participation is recorded.

• The issue of changing definitions is important in leisure and tourism research, and a relatively minor change can radically alter how we view things.

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Data collection methods

• Considering day-trippers, there are also a series of logistical problems concerned with the collection of tourism data, which casts further doubt on their accuracy.

• For example, given the difficulties of recording cross-border traffic flows on busy routes, many countries record only accommodation arrivals, but here too we have problems as it is often only hotel information that is recorded.

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• In other words, people visiting friends and relatives, people staying in second homes, holiday cottages or timeshare accommodation, and people camping or staying in bed and breakfast accommodation may not find their way into the tourism figures.

• For some countries, given the nature of their accommodation supply, this can create a far from accurate picture of tourism activity.

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• Tourism statistics are thus collected in a variety of ways around the globe.

• In some countries it is a legal requirement for accommodation businesses to collect data, in other countries statistics are generated by border-crossings either through a process of registration or by a sample survey.

• The data collection methods may then change over time, again making comparisons difficult.

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The form and reporting of secondary data

• Another problem is that much of the tourism information may only be available at the national level, whereas the researcher may require data at the regional or local level.

• Following on from this, the aggregation of data may lead to an important loss of detail.

• There can be considerable delay between the research being conducted and the statistics being made available.

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Evaluating secondary data

• The quality of tourism data is variable, and we should appreciate from what has been said so far that there is a potential problem of validity with much of the data we are likely to use.

• Tourism and economic statistics arenot measure very accurately what they are aiming to measure, whether frontier arrivals, accommodation arrivals, nights spent, receipts or expenditures.

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Evaluating secondary data• Three main factors are unsatisfactory data

collection methods; a) poor sample design or small samples b) producing unacceptably high levels of sampling error and c) a failure to follow agreed data collection procedures.

• Reliability, as we have already seen, can also be an issue.

• Data generated from official surveys comes from rigorously adhered to methods and is thus a reliable source.

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Evaluating secondary data• The professionalism of organisations is well

known, and so we can have confidence in the reliability of the data they generate.

• This last point is important as it reminds us that not all official statistics are generated from social surveys, many are collected by a process of registration i.e. form filling.

• Unreliable data can arise if forms are not completed, or are not completed properly, or if they are collated and analysed incorrectly.

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Conclusion• This chapter has drawn the distinction between

primary arid secondary data, and has focused on the analysis of secondary data using examples of published research.

• Major sources of quantitative leisure and tourism data have been discussed, and students of leisure and tourism are strongly advised to follow up these sources in order to see what is available.

• Secondary data analysis has been evaluated throughout this chapter, and the advantages, issues and problems have been discussed in some detail.

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Student Activity

1. Visit UNWTO web site and collect data about any specific country’s tourism statistics on annual base, and compare with different countries in terms of their relative shares at international level.

2. Visit the web page of Turkish Culture and Tourism Ministry, and collect data about incoming to and outgoing visitors from Turkey. Compare the numbers.

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Secondary Data Analysis in Leisure and Tourism Research Chapter 4 1.

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