In 2017, Tourism Research Australia (TRA) undertook a review of the data landscape, including the utility of new and emerging data sources for tourism use, in line with the continuous improvement program. Data61 (the commercial arm of the CSIRO) assisted with the review, bringing their expertise with administrative and big data sources.
Data61 identified four data groups to investigate further:
- Transactions, including financial
- Social media
- Bookings and ticketing
- Telecommunications
These data groups were assessed across the ABS’ Data Quality Framework.
TRA and state tourism organisations also undertook 20 proof of concepts to analyse the usability of these data groups for tourism purposes.
In April 2019, TRA held a webinar, Update on the tourism data landscape about the potential benefits of complementary data sources and the challenges in using them for the tourism industry. A recording of the webinar and the presentation are now available.