Tourism tracking enters a new era
Tourism tracking enters a new era
Traditional phone surveys are rapidly disappearing as a tool for measuring tourism, replaced by anonymised smartphone mobility data that offers faster, cheaper and more accurate insights into how Australians travel.
BDO Project & Infrastructure Advisory Partner, Katie McNamara, said the shift is reshaping how the visitor economy is understood.
“The days of long phone surveys are over. People don’t pick up calls from unknown numbers anymore, and the industry has had to adapt,” she said.
“Mobile data offers a more representative picture because it captures millions of movements, not just the answers of a limited group.”
For decades, large-scale surveys were the backbone of tourism research, capturing information on where people travelled, how long they stayed and how much they spent. But with declining response rates and rising costs, the method has become unreliable.
Now, anonymised data drawn from GPS signals, apps and telecommunications networks is being used to monitor visitor flows in near real time.
Katie said the change will deliver major benefits to governments, operators and event organisers.
“Instead of waiting months for results, insights are available within weeks,” she said. “That speed is a game-changer—it means decisions about marketing campaigns, major events or infrastructure investment can be made with confidence and without delay.”
The rise of mobility data has also raised public concerns about privacy, but Katie said strict safeguards are in place.
“The information is anonymised and aggregated. No one is following individuals—what we see are patterns, not people. That transparency is essential if the industry is to maintain public trust.”
Australia’s embrace of mobility data reflects a global trend. European countries including Lithuania have already embedded similar approaches, using dashboards to predict tourism demand at regional levels.
Katie said the challenge now is striking the right balance.
“Innovation is essential, but so is public confidence. The future of tourism research will depend on blending new technology with transparency and good governance.”
For media enquiries:
Tate Papworth
Manager, Media
E: Tate.Papworth@bdo.com.au
Ph: 0433411189