Research Project (Ongoing)

Study on Improving Cambodia’s Official Statistics Using Alternative Data: Application of Mobile Network Data for Tourism Statistics

This study aims to enhance tourism statistics and enable the timely monitoring of tourism demand in Cambodia using mobile network operator (MNO) data.

In recent years, many countries have been exploring the use of alternative data sources, such as mobile phone location data and roaming data, to improve tourism statistics and balance of payments statistics. However, there has been limited validation of methodologies for accurately identifying and estimating tourists from mobile phone data, as well as approaches that combine mobile phone data with conventional statistical sources, such as traveler surveys, to improve estimation accuracy.

This study seeks to develop a methodology for estimating the number of travelers, length of stay, spatial distribution of destinations, and tourism expenditures by integrating location and roaming data held by Cambodian mobile network operators with traveler surveys conducted at airports and land border crossings. The study is expected to contribute to the improvement of tourism statistics and balance of payments statistics produced by the National Bank of Cambodia (NBC).

In addition, the study will utilize detailed mobility information derived from mobile phone data to analyze how behavioral patterns and consumption trends of tourists with different characteristics affect local economies. It will also examine patterns of domestic labor mobility associated with fluctuations in tourism demand. Furthermore, the research will assess the impacts of external shocks, such as changes in border conditions, on the tourism sector, and evaluate the resulting vulnerabilities and resilience of regional economies.