6.9.                  For the analysis of production and production processes, the establishment is the most suitable unit from which to gather data, for tourism statistics as well as the TSA and System of National Accounts. As indicated in Box VI.1, “establishment” is defined as “an enterprise, or part of an enterprise, that is situated in a single location and in which only a single productive activity is carried out, or in which the principal productive activity accounts for most of the value added”.

6.10.                  Establishments are where visitors are actually served, and in this regard, analysis usually encompasses a geographical dimension: restaurants belonging to a chain, for instance, will receive greater or lesser visitor flows depending on where precisely they are located, even within a city.

Similarly, establishments belonging to the same hotel chain but situated in different parts of a country – in its capital city, at the beach or at other resort locations – will each receive different categories of customer and be subject to different types of seasonality.

Box VI.2 

Economic activities and statistical units 

Establishment

As a statistical unit, it is used for the analysis   of transactions in goods and services and for compilation of the production   account. The concept of the establishment combines both a kind‑of‑activity   dimension and a locality dimension (see below). 

Enterprise

It is used as the statistical unit for compilation   of income accounts, accumulation accounts and balance‑sheet accounts. 

Enterprise   group

Enterprises under the control of the same owner form   a group. Integration economies lead to formation of vertical groups, where an   enterprise takes control over another enterprise. An enterprise group is a   set of enterprises controlled by the group head. The group head is a parent   legal unit that is not controlled either directly or indirectly by any other   legal unit. 

Kind‑of‑activity   unit

This is an enterprise or part of an enterprise that   engages in only one kind of productive activity or in which the principal   productive activity accounts for most of the value added. The kind‑of‑activity   unit (KAU) groups all the parts of an enterprise contributing to the   performance of an activity at the class (4‑digit) level of the European Union   activity classification statistical classification of Economic Activities in   the European Community (NACE) and corresponds to one or more operational   subdivisions of the enterprise. Kind‑of‑activity units are characterized by   homogeneity of activity but there is not restriction on the geographical area   in which the activity is carried out-. 

Local unit: Enterprises often engage in productive activity at   more than one location, and for some purposes it may be useful to partition   them accordingly. Thus, a local unit is defined as an enterprise, or a part   of an enterprise, that engages in productive activity at or from one   location. The definition has only one dimension, in that it does not refer to   the kind of activity that is carried out. 

Unit of   homogeneous production

Establishments are designed to be units that are   more suitable for analysis of production in which the technology of production   plays an important role. However, the appropriate analytical unit for the   purposes of input‑output analysis is a unit of homogeneous production that is   defined as a production unit in which only a single (non‑ancillary)   productive activity is carried out. Units of homogeneous production are   independent of the location of the activity. 

Local kind‑of‑activity   unit

The local kind‑of‑activity unit is the part of a   kind‑of‑activity unit which corresponds to a local unit. Each kind‑of‑activity   unit must have at least one local kind‑of‑activity unit. 

Local unit   of homogeneous production

The local unit of homogeneous production is the part   of the unit of homogeneous production that corresponds to a local unit. This   is in line with the definition of an establishment, which would have only one   homogeneous activity.

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Sources: Eurostat and 2008 SNA, glossary.

6.11.                  In the case of transport (excluding local transport), however, visitors are served by establishments that are not truly relevant, as they consist mainly of ticket offices. However, management is usually centralized and information can be given, if needed, for all origins and destinations, which is what matters. In this specific case, the relevant unit might be the enterprise.