Using alternative data sources and tools to measure and monitor tourism

The rapid succession of recent crises has underscored the need for timely, granular, and comparable tourism data to inform policy and business decisions in a changing world. Traditional methods of collecting tourism data, while valuable, often face challenges such as high costs, slow processes, and declining response rates. Alternative data sources can help enhance tourism measurement and provide a more comprehensive view of tourism dynamics, while data sharing tools can guide and inform effective policy decisions, at national and sub-national level. Advanced analytics and AI tools can further complement these efforts with the potential for lower costs related to decision-making and prediction and opportunities. This paper explores how alternative data sources such as transaction data and mobile positioning data can complement existing statistical approaches to improve the timeliness and granularity of tourism data and fill data gaps. It highlights how data hubs and other data sharing solutions can help promote transparency, collaboration and innovation in the tourism sector. Drawing on recent case studies, it sets out considerations for a path forward for the effective implementation of alternative data sources and tools for tourism.