Mary Upton (Dublin South Central, Labour)
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Question 173: To ask the Taoiseach the number of people directly and indirectly employed in the tourism sector; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [5873/08]

Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)
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The information requested by the Deputy is not available. Extensive statistics on employment and Tourism are compiled by the CSO. However sectoral data are compiled using the NACE classification, which is the standard EU classification for economic activity. Due to the fragmented and diverse nature of tourism, it is not identified as a sector within the classification.

In order to estimate direct and indirect employment generated by the tourism sector, a Tourism Satellite Account (TSA) would be required. Currently, no official TSA is compiled for Ireland.