Presentación para la Jornadas Estadísticas de la Comunidades Autónomas (JECAS XVIII), celebradas en Oviedo el 3-4 de julio de 2014

1. MICRODESTINOS TURÍSTICOS
JECAS 2014

2. Definición conceptual de microdestinos turísticos y
elaboración de estadísticas asociadas mediante la
georeferenciación de los alojamientos
• JECAS 2014
• Yenis Marisel González Mora
• 4 de julio de 2014

3. MICRODESTINOS TURÍSTICOS
Autores del trabajo:
Jesús Alberto González Yánes (ISTAC)
Yenis M. González Mora (ISTAC)
Raúl Hernández Martín (ULL)
Moisés R. Simancas Cruz (ULL)
Yurena Rodríguez Rodríguez (ULL)
Juan Israel García Cruz (ULL)

4. MICRODESTINOS TURÍSTICOS
Table of contents
• Introduction
– Motivation
– Research group
– Main goals
– Statistical framework
– The concepts
• Methodology
• Pilot study
• Some results
• Concluding remarks

5. MICRODESTINOS TURÍSTICOS
MOTIVATION.
THE INITIAL PROBLEM

6. MICRODESTINOS TURÍSTICOS
Motivation
• From 2009 on, available tourism statistics at a municipal level
(ISTAC)
– Survey on Tourism Expenditure
– Survey on Tourism Accommodation in Hotels
– Survey on Tourism Accommodation in Apartments
• But more precise information is still needed for certain hotspots
• The problem: “Administrative boundaries are not an appropriate limit
for analysing tourism destinations at a local level”
• Buhalis (2000:97): “Often destinations are artificially divided by
geographical and political barriers, which fail to take into
consideration consumer preferences or tourism inustry functions”

7. MICRODESTINOS TURÍSTICOS
Distribution of bed-places across Tenerife
Pilot study

8. MICRODESTINOS TURÍSTICOS
Tourism areas at the municipalities of
Arona and Adeje
Pilot study

9. MICRODESTINOS TURÍSTICOS
93,000 tourist bed-places (2013)
3.4 million tourists in hotels & apartments (2013)
Source: Google Earth

10. MICRODESTINOS TURÍSTICOS
Alternative approaches to tourism
statistics at the local level
1. Destination at the local level = municipality
Sometimes misleading. Why?
Municipality 1 Municipality 2 Municipality 3
Micro-destination 1
Micro-destination 2
Micro-destination 3
Micro-destination 4
Municipality 4
Micro-destination 5

11. MICRODESTINOS TURÍSTICOS
Alternative approaches to tourism statistics at the local level
2. Defining a new geographical unit: micro-destination
– Small geographical unit highly dependent on tourism
– Comprises of a wide range of tourism facilities
– Has a differentiated image and tourism typology
(tourism products)
– Is an individual unit for tourism management and
planning

12. MICRODESTINOS TURÍSTICOS
RESEARCH GROUP

13. MICRODESTINOS TURÍSTICOS
Research group
Pilot
Study
Economic
s
Geograph
y
Official
Statistics
Office
Tourism

14. MICRODESTINOS TURÍSTICOS
Research group
Unidad Mixta de
Metodología e
Investigación en
Estadística Pública
ULL – ISTAC

15. MICRODESTINOS TURÍSTICOS
MAIN GOALS

16. MICRODESTINOS TURÍSTICOS
Main goals
• Developing a methodology to establish the boundaries of
micro-destinations
• Applying the methodology in a pilot study
• Contribution to international criteria to define relevant
tourism zones at the local level

17. MICRODESTINOS TURÍSTICOS
THE STATISTICAL
FRAMEWORK

18. MICRODESTINOS TURÍSTICOS
The Integrated System of Tourism
Statistics of the Canary Islands
DIRECTORY
OF
TOURISM
ESTABLISH
MENTS
Tourism
Arrivals
Tourism
Expedidure
Accommoda
tion in
Hotels
Accommoda
tion in
Apartaments
Hotel
Expectatio
ns
Users of
Golf
Courses
Census survey Supply-side
Sample survey Demand-side
Source: ISTAC

19. MICRODESTINOS TURÍSTICOS
THE CONCEPTS

20. MICRODESTINOS TURÍSTICOS
No precise definition of tourism
destination
• Bornhorst, Ritchie & Sheehan (2010):
– “that geographical region which contains a sufficiently critical mass or cluster of
attractions so as to be capable of providing tourists with visitation experiences
that attract them to the destination for tourism purposes”
• Scott, Cooper & Baggio (2008):
– Highlight the network nature of destinations
– Buhalis (2000):
– “destinations are amalgams of tourism products, offering an integrated
experience to consumers”
– United Nations IRTS (2010):
– “The main destination of a tourism trip is defined as the place visited that is
central to the decision to take the trip. However, if no such place can be identified
by the visitor, the main destination is defined as the place where he/she spent
most of his/her time during the trip. Again, if no such place can be identified by
the visitor, then the main destination is defined as the place that is the farthest
from the place of usual residence”. (UN, 2010:13)

21. MICRODESTINOS TURÍSTICOS
BACKGROUND ON
DELIMITATION

22. MICRODESTINOS TURÍSTICOS
Is not easy to find examples of small area identification in tourism
Outside the scope of tourism, this
zoning type has been made in:
Sociology
Public health
Urban planning
Geography

23. MICRODESTINOS TURÍSTICOS
Is not easy to find examples of small area identification in tourism
Neighborhoods identification. The 9 most common criteria:
• Subjectivity (Suttles, 1972; Flowerdew, et al., 2007; Sampson et al.,
1997; Coulton et al., 2001)
• Physical and social barriers (Flowerdew, et al., 2007; Sampson et al.,
1997; Suttles, 1972; Cutchin et al., 2011)
• Enacted boundaries (Suttles, 1972; Chaskin, 1997)
• Homogeneity (Flowerdew, et al., 2007; Spielman et al., 2013; Riva et al.,
2008; Sampson et al., 1997)
• Land use (Suttles, 1972; Cutchin et al., 2011; Dredge, 1999)
• Research purpose (Flowerdew, et al., 2007; Chaskin, 1997; Dredge,
1999)
• Size (Flowerdew, et al., 2007; Blasco et al., 2013; Clapp et al., 2006)
• Contiguity (Flowerdew, et al., 2007; Sampson et al., 1997; Cutchin et al.,
2011)
• Consensus (Flowerdew et al., 2007)

24. MICRODESTINOS TURÍSTICOS
THE METHODOLOGY

25. MICRODESTINOS TURÍSTICOS
Proposed criteria to identify
micro-destinations
1. Concentration of establishments from tourism characteristic
industries
2. Homogeneity of tourism typologies and characteristics of tourism
supply
3. Stability of boundaries over time
4. Dynamism and flexibility
5. Feasibility and relevance
6. Public and private support

26. MICRODESTINOS TURÍSTICOS
Main criteria
1. Concentration of establishments from tourism characteristic industries
– Allows to separate tourism areas from non-tourism areas
– Allows to separate tourism areas from areas where tourism density is low
– Accommodation vs. attractions:
• Places where tourists stay
• Places visited by tourists: attractions, beaches, natural parks, city centers,
etc.
2. Homogeneity of tourism typologies and characteristics of tourism supply.
– Allows to delimit micro-destinations: A continuous tourism area can include one
or more micro-destinations
Homogeneous tourism area
(Tourist area = Micro-destination)
Heterogeneous tourism area
(Tourist area = Several micro-destinations)

27. MICRODESTINOS TURÍSTICOS
THE PILOT STUDY

28. TOURISM ACCOMMODATION
DIRECTORY
Tourism GIS Database
Project of the University of
La Laguna
ISTAC Geolocation of
Accommodation
Establishments
Statistical Analysis and Spatial
Analysis
Aggregation
Test
ISTAC
Micro-destinations
Criteria
GEOLOCATED TOURISM
ACCOMMODATION
DIRECTORY

29. MICRODESTINOS TURÍSTICOS
Application of criteria
1. Concentration of tourism establishments. Advantages of
choosing tourism collective accommodation establishments:
– Huge availability of information for collective accommodation establishments
– Allows tourist numbers to be counted easily
– Easy geolocation of establishments and their linked information
– Good starting point to analyse mobility
– Used often by most tourists or the by the most relevant segment
– Relevant share of tourism expenditure at the destination
– Usually next to tourist attractions and services
– Accommodation supply is stable across time
– Characteristics of collective accommodation establishments is highly related to tourism
activities and consumption patterns
– Disadvantages: same-day visitors, urban destinations, disseminated accommodation
units, rural tourism, natural protected areas, etc.
2. Homogeneity of tourism typologies and tourism supply
– The typology of accommodation facilities
– Age: different waves of tourism development

30. MICRODESTINOS TURÍSTICOS
The nine micro-destinations

31. MICRODESTINOS TURÍSTICOS
Type of accommodation and year of
building
New luxury hotels
Apartments
New All-inclusive
Traditional old town + apartments
New apartment + 2nd homes
Old apartments + 2nd homes
Old cheap apartments + night life
Golf course
Golf course
Source: ISTAC
Residential tourism

32. TOURISM ACCOMMODATION
DIRECTORY
Tourism GIS Database
Project of the University of
La Laguna
ISTAC Geolocation of
Accommodation
Establishments
Statistical Analysis and Spatial
Analysis
Aggregation
Tests
ISTAC
Micro-destinations
Criteria
GEOLOCATED TOURISM
ACCOMMODATION
DIRECTORY

33. MICRODESTINOS TURÍSTICOS
Aggretation and tests
Geocoded supply-side
statistical information
(establishment level)
Geodcoded tourism
accommodation
establishments
directory
Geocoded demand-
side statistical
information
(establishment level)
Publishable
integrated supply-
demand tourism
information at the
micro-destination
level
Aggregation
Test

34. MICRODESTINOS TURÍSTICOS
SOME RESULTS OF
THE PILOT STUDY

35. MICRODESTINOS TURÍSTICOS
Tourists staying in collective
accommodation establishments (2011)
Source: ISTAC

36. MICRODESTINOS TURÍSTICOS
Average Daily Expenditure per Tourist
(2011)
Source: ISTAC

37. MICRODESTINOS TURÍSTICOS
Revenue per Available Room in Hotels
(2011)
Source: ISTAC

38. MICRODESTINOS TURÍSTICOS
Ratio of tourism expenditure spent in the
Canary Islands (2011)
Source: ISTAC

39. MICRODESTINOS TURÍSTICOS
Average Daily Expenditure in Restaurants
per Tourist (2011)
Source: ISTAC

40. MICRODESTINOS TURÍSTICOS
Ratio of British to Total Tourists in each
Micro-destination (2011)
Source: ISTAC

41. MICRODESTINOS TURÍSTICOS
Ratio of Tourists Travelling with Children
(2011)
Source: ISTAC

42. MICRODESTINOS TURÍSTICOS
Concluding remarks
• This study has developed and applied a methodology to
improve the relevance of tourism statistics by adopting a
more appropriate level of analysis: the micro-destination.
• Building and mantaining an up-to-date directory of tourism
establishments has been central for this purpose
• This research takes advantage of existing statistical
information, but combines information in new ways

43. MICRODESTINOS TURÍSTICOS
Concluding remarks
•This methdology could be applied to other regions, but the
core criteria for delimiting tourism destinations shall have to
be adapted in the case of areas in which accommodation is
not the core activity (cities, natural protected areas, rural
tourism, etc.)
•We need an international standarised methodology to
improve our findings

44. MICRODESTINOS TURÍSTICOS
¡¡Muchas gracias!!!
ygonmor@gobiernodecanarias.org