Affiliations: [a] Tyco International, Cork, T12 X8N6, Ireland | [b] European Central Bank, D-60314 Frankfurt am Main, Germany | [c] Central Statistics Office, Dublin 6, DO6FX52, Ireland
Correspondence:
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Corresponding author: Eóin T. Flaherty, European Central Bank, Sonnenmanstrasse 20, D-60314 Frankfurt am Main, Germany. E-mail: eoinflaherty@hotmail.com.
Abstract: We use big data from Wikipedia page views to examine its possible use in official tourism statistics. Big data offers many opportunities for National Statistics Institutes (NSIs). However, it is also challenging to ensure that it can be used effectively and can be relied on. Using the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) ‘Sandbox’ environment for big data, we find correlations between Wikipedia page views on cities and official tourism indicators in subsequent periods. We also find evidence using page views of beaches to support previous findings and concerns in the literature about selectivity and spurious correlation. While big data is useful, NSIs must be careful in how they formulate official statistics obtained with it.
Keywords: Big data, spurious correlation, selectivity, tourism, Wikipedia, UNECE Sandbox
