7.16.            As indicated above, household surveys are primarily used to collect social and demographic information, but they can also be useful sources for collecting information identified in MSITS 2010, in particular for the following:

(a) For households as consumers of services (debits/imports): 

(i) Collect information on expenditure patterns of households, or some of its members, that may have travelled abroad. The information will mainly be used to compile the payments for international passenger transport or travel and on outbound tourism expenditure. Socioeconomic characteristics of such households and the characteristics of their travel abroad may also be useful sources of information in relation to the variable number of trips/persons for mode 2; 

(ii) Collect information on the expenditures of households on payments/imports for (other) services. Such information may particularly be relevant for Internet-based transactions or services provided through telecommunications networks, in particular expenditures related to intellectual property products, such as software or audiovisual products, as well as expenditures for services from a supplier who is physically present, such as health services providers and cleaning personnel; [1] 

(b) For households or its members as suppliers of services (credits/exports): 

(i) Collect information on the supply of services to non-residents by members of the household: 

a. Members of the household supplying services to non-residents by travelling abroad (i.e. mode 4), either as self-employed (value of contracts and information on the characteristics of business travel abroad, e.g., mode 4 business trips) or on behalf of their employer (information only on the characteristics of business trips abroad). A labor force survey may be particularly relevant in such a context (see section E);

b. Members of the household supplying services to non-residents without travelling abroad, e.g., through the Internet (mode 1) or through the presence of non-residents on the premises of the household (mode 2), most likely to be accounted for under travel credits (or inbound tourism expenditure or consumption).

7.17.            Certain specific household surveys, such as business travel surveys, could be  timely and relevant sources on outbound temporary labour mobility, which could be useful for collecting detailed information on mode 4 (see the example of the Netherlands, below), as well as on mode 2 for that particular category of business traveller. Extending the usefulness of both business travel data and labour force data by joining samples could also be considered.[2] 

7.18.            In principle, all resident persons are attached to one resident household and only one. Therefore, in order to survey residents, resident households can be used as the sampling frame, as it will ensure total coverage, if the sampling frame is up to date.[3] The information can be collected through an interview, through the visit of an interviewer to the household. That is the most common procedure, as it facilitates the control of the survey.

 

In this section:

D.1. Household surveys and services items of EBOPS 2010: travel, transportation and other services

D.2. Household surveys and (mode 4) receipts for exports of services

D.3. Household surveys and mode 2 and mode 4 number of persons/trips

 

Next: E. Labour force surveys

 

[1] Compilers will have to ensure that only service contractual relationships will be taken into consideration; see chapters 1,  14 and 16.

[3] Note that some special dwellings may be more difficult to enumerate, for example, retirement and palliative care homes, trailer parks and long-stay hostels, residential colleges and holiday homes.