About

Summary

Acorn compiled the first Tourism Satellite Account (TSA) for Jordan with a reference year of 2012, and subsequently updated this two years later for a reference year of 2016.  This study updated the 2016 TSA to provide estimates of Tourism Direct Gross Value Added (TDGVA) and Tourism GDP in Jordan in 2018.  The account was compiled using a mixture of new data (from the 2018 national accounts) and projected data using the 2016 inbound visitor survey and the 2012 domestic tourism survey.  Consequently the study required a mix of forecasting, modelling and TSA compilation skills.

Our Approach

The compilation process was mainly desk-based, liaising with staff in the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities and the Department of Statistics in Amman, Jordan.

Demand-side data, essentially inbound and domestic tourism expenditure, was modelled and forecast based on previous surveys, as no data collection had been undertaken in 2018.  This was undertaken using a range of data including visitor arrivals statistics and travel account data from the Central Bank of Jordan.  Supply-side data could be utilised from the national accounts that had been compiled for 2018 by the Department of Statistics.

For the first time, Table 9 – Tourism Collective Consumption, was compiled as part of the TSA tables.  This table measures the provision by government of services that are generally provided to consumers free of charge; examples include tourism promotion services, information centres and security (such as tourism police).

Outcome

The 2018 TSA provided the Minister and other key personnel within the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities with updated data on the economic importance of tourism, measuring it in the same way as other sectors such as manufacturing, agriculture and mining.  This compilation will be a key benchmark for when post-COVID-19 TSA compilations are undertaken, to assess the impact of the pandemic on the Jordanian economy.