Development of preliminary tourism satellite accounts for Namibia

Abstract

In Namibia, as in many countries, reliable and accurate information regarding the economic impact of tourism has not been available. In an attempt to overcome this problem, a set of preliminary tourism satellite accounts for Namibia has been constructed using currently available data. Such accounts are designed to accurately determine the size and importance of the tourism industry within an economy. The accounts present information including the supply of, and expenditure on, tourism commodities, as well as gross value added of, and employment within, the tourism industry. The limitations of the data used are identified, and recommendations to improve both data quality and quantity are made. Opportunities to improve these accounts in the future and the importance of such accounts in policy making are outlined. The development of a comprehensive set of accounts is feasible, and the potential for their use in policy making and economic analysis is great.