Tourism

Methodology

The publication Tourism 2000-2004 contains selected indicators on tourism observed by the CZSO. The main goal of the publication is to provide the user with a long time series of clearly arranged basic indicators on numbers of accommodation establishments, their capacity and guests, domestic and outbound tourism of Czech residents and border statistics (arrivals of foreign persons in the Czech Republic and departures of Czech residents abroad).

More information can be found at CZSO web pages www.czso.cz (in chapter Tourism or in time series that are being prepared), in printed publications or in the Information Services Section of the CZSO.

1 Capacity of collective accommodation establishments

The annual statistical survey on the capacity of accommodation establishments covers all collective accommodation establishments serving tourism and run by legal or natural persons on a commercial basis.

A collective accommodation establishment is an establishment with at least five rooms or ten beds used for the purpose of tourism. An accommodation establishment with lower capacity belongs to the category of individual/private accommodation establishments.

The survey is based on the utilisation of a specific register of accommodation establishments and its results are used for a backward update of the register. Accommodation establishments report the state on 31 December or on the last day they offered accommodation in given year.

The data published are a total of data from arrived questionnaires and also include data for those collective accommodation establishments that failed to report. In these cases, information on capacity was taken from the register of accommodation establishments (RUBT), which is continually updated using the results of the survey and administrative sources available.

Data on the numbers of collective accommodation establishments and their capacity in 2000-2004 have been revised. The reason for the revision was the reflection of the latest information on the existence or non-existence of accommodation establishments in the results of surveys taken in the past. In the last two years, we were able to update the register of accommodation establishments so that it corresponds with the actual situation on the market of accommodation establishments since 2000. On the one hand, significant progress was made in the elimination of all duplicate data on one accommodation establishment. And thanks to the finishing fieldwork, information was found also on accommodation establishments that failed to report for a long time (often because of activity discontinued several years ago). On the other hand, the register of accommodation establishments was completed (by interviewers or from various administrative sources) with establishments in operation that were previously not included.

Persons working in catering are included in the total number of persons employed in accommodation establishments providing also catering services (restaurants, night clubs, etc.). Similarly, those providing balneological services (incl. medical personnel) are included in the total number of persons employed in balneological establishments.

The results are broken down to the level of regions (NUTS3) and districts (NUTS4) by the classification CZ-NUTS.

Due to individual data protection, some of the tables do not contain all data (letters “i.d.“ instead), or data are not broken down into such a detail. Flag i.d.* represents data, which cannot be published due to individual data protection in other category. Dash (-) means that statistical phenomenon does not occur. Letter (x) means that figure is not observed.

2 Guests at collective accommodation establishments

The data on guests in collective tourist accommodation establishments are obtained from the monthly sample survey (CR1-12) and from the quarterly survey (CR2-04). The data presented are a total of data from arrived questionnaires and imputed data for those accommodation establishments that failed to report.

The results of the survey on guests in collective accommodation establishments are directly affected by the state of the register of accommodation establishments.

The “guest in an accommodation establishment” is a person (including children) who used the services of an accommodation establishment for their temporary stay. Persons (Czech nationals and foreigners) who used accommodation establishment services for temporary stay for the purpose of employment are not included. The length of temporary stay does not exceed 1 year for the visitor (guest) to be taken as a tourist.

“Gross use of bed places” is calculated by using the total number of permanent bed places in an accommodation establishment. “Net use of bed places” refers to the use of permanent beds actually available. Similarly, “net use of rooms” counts only rooms available to guests.

Information on guests in collective accommodation establishments is published in regular quarterly publications1. Together with the processing for the fourth quarter, a revision is always made of data previously published for the given year. Corrections are made firstly due to a retroactive reflection of information on deaths of accommodation establishments in the results of the previous periods and, secondly, due to additional keying of questionnaires, which were sent by accommodation establishments after the deadline (often as late as the end of the year).

The results are broken down to the level of regions (NUTS3) by the classification CZ-NUTS.

Due to individual data protection, some of the tables do not contain all the data (letters “i.d.“ instead), or the data are not broken down into such a detail. Flag i.d.* represents data, which cannot be published due to individual data protection in other category. Dash (-) means that statistical phenomenon does not occur. Letter (x) means that figure is not observed.

Always 60 calendar days following the last day of the reference month, a table with the preliminary monthly national data on guests is available in the CZSO Information Services Section. These data, however, should be taken as preliminary, because they result from a limited sample grossed up to the universe of collective accommodation establishments and, therefore, information on deaths within the universe of collective accommodation establishments cannot be used; this information is obtained on a quarterly basis.

3 Domestic and outbound tourism

In 2003, the Czech tourism statistics switched from annual to quarterly surveys on outbound and domestic tourism of the Czech Republic (previously the annual publication „Travelling“). The data source is the tourism sample survey, the purpose of which is not only providing a link to the former annual survey to satisfy the needs of users, but also, and in particular, aligning the structure and methodological definitions of indicators with international requirements in the context of the Czech Republic’s membership of the European Union. The survey also complies with the needs of the tourism satellite account of the Czech Republic that is in the process of creation.

The data on outbound and domestic tourism are collected through asking one chosen member of a household aged 15+ who usually resides in the dwelling surveyed. They give information about holiday and leisure trips and business trips outside their usual environment (i.e. other than permanent or temporary residence, workplace, school, etc.) taken in the reference month. Using coefficients, data found by the sample survey are grossed up to the total population aged 15+. The two-stage random sampling is used. The census district is the sampling unit for the first stage, and the simple random sampling of dwellings in the census districts is made at the second stage. The tourism sample survey in the Czech Republic is conducted on a monthly basis and the results are published quarterly.

Methodological indicators:

Domestic tourism is tourism of Czech residents within the Czech Republic outside their usual environment.

Outbound tourism includes tourist trips of Czech residents abroad.

Long trip: Holiday or leisure trip that includes at least four consecutive overnight stays outside the traveller’s usual environment.

Short trip: Holiday or leisure trip that includes at least one and at most three consecutive overnight stays outside the traveller’s usual environment (incl. weekend stays).

Business trip: Trip for the purpose of business outside the traveller’s usual environment, which includes at least one overnight stay and its length does not exceed 12 months (congresses and conferences, fairs and exhibitions, business talks and missions, trips for the purpose of closing business contracts, assembly or repair of technical equipment, trade (purchase or sale), professional trips (taken by representatives of culture or religion, etc.), vocational training, accompaniment of other persons, etc.).

Data on domestic and outbound tourism are published in regular quarterly publications.

4 Border statistics

The data on arrivals of foreign persons in the Czech Republic and departures of Czech citizens abroad broken down by individual border crossings are obtained from the Police of the Czech Republic and from the Directorate of Alien and Border Police.

The number of persons who crossed the state border is expert-guessed by the Alien and Border Police (especially at road and railway border crossings). Accurate numbers apply only to foreign persons coming from the countries with visa duty.

Arrivals of foreign persons comprise all persons (non-residents) who crossed the state border of the Czech Republic from outside, irrespective of the purpose of coming (i.e. not only for the purpose of tourism).

When crossing the state border, foreign persons are classified into three groups: Germans, Austrians, Poles and Slovaks are registered as nationals of the neighbouring country provided they cross the segment of the state border connecting the CR with their country. If they cross other segments of the CR border, they are classified into the second group, together with the other foreign persons, as persons from other countries without visa duty. The third group is represented by persons coming from countries with visa duty. Hence, the figure “Foreign persons from neighbouring countries” does not include Germans, Austrians, Poles and Slovaks who crossed other borders than those connecting their respective country with the Czech Republic. The row “Airport” breaks down foreign persons only into those “From countries with visa duty“ and “From other countries without visa duty”.

The number of departures of Czech residents abroad includes all residents moving across the state border of the Czech Republic at crossing points from inside.

The results are published on a monthly basis.