The tables in this release are available in an XLS spreadsheet and the entire release is available in PDF format.
Additional background information is also available.

BEA REPORTS SALES OF U.S. TOURISM INDUSTRIES GREW 16 PERCENT IN THIRD QUARTER 2003

Tourism Sales Return to Near Pre-Recession Levels

U.S. tourism industries had total tourism-related sales of $747.8 billion in the third quarter of 2003, an increase of 16.2 percent from 
the previous quarter of $720.2 billion, according the preliminary data released by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis.  This level of sales is 
only one-half of one percent below the pre-recession peak of $751.3 billion in the fourth quarter of 2000.  

Leading the growth in sales were the two largest tourism industries: 'air transportation' and 'hotels and lodging places'.  Direct tourism-related 
sales in the air transportation industry grew by 32.1 percent in the third quarter to $98.7 billion following a 8.2 percent decline in the second 
quarter.  Hotels and lodging places grew by 15.9 percent to $115.5 billion in the third quarter, which follows a 5.6 percent increase in the 
second quarter of 2003.

Other highlights from this release of the travel and tourism satellite account include:

* Direct sales of automotive rental and leasing grew by 13.8 percent to $24.1 billion in the third quarter.
* Direct sales of eating and drinking places grew by 8.8 percent to $67.5 billion.
* Direct sales of all tourism-related industries increased $14.7 billion to $400.7 billion in the third quarter of 2003.  This represents 3.6 percent 
  of current dollar GDP.  Direct tourism sales are sales by tourism industries to out-of-town visitors such as sales by airlines and restaurants to 
  leisure and business travelers.
* Indirect sales increased $12.9 billion to $347.1 billion in the third quarter of 2003.  Indirect tourism sales are sales to tourism industries by the 
  chain of industries that supply them, such as fuel to airlines and oil to the fuel refineries to supply airlines. 
* Total tourism industry sales for second quarter of 2003 were revised down in the release by one percentage point to 2.0 percent (revised) 
  growth.  These revised estimates incorporate new data from the U.S. Department of Transportation on sales of air transportation for all but 
  the most recent quarter.
  
Tourism industries are those identified in the BEA Travel and Tourism Satellite Accounts (TTSA) as industries whose primary products are 
typically purchased by out-of-town visitors.  Visitors are people whose travel for pleasure or business takes them 50 miles or more away from 
home, or outside of their usual environment.  The definitions, framework, and estimating methods used for the U.S. TTSA's follow, as closely 
as practicable, the guidelines for similar accounts that were developed by the World Tourism Organization (WTO) and the Organisation for 
Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

BEA's estimates of U.S. tourism industry sales include figures for both direct and indirect sales.  Direct tourism sales are sales by tourism 
industries to out-of-town visitors.  Indirect tourism sales are sales to tourism industries by the chain of industries that supply them.  Indirect 
sales were estimated using industry-by-industry total requirements coefficients from BEA's input-output accounts. 

Further information on BEA's TTSA and analyses of previous quarters are available on BEA's Web site.  Go to , and below 
the "Industry" heading click on "Travel and Tourism."  With the support of the U.S. Department of Commerce's International Trade 
Administration, BEA's first TTSA's were published in the July 1998 Survey of Current Business.  In late 2001, BEA began producing prototype 
quarterly estimates of tourism industry sales.  BEA is now publishing these estimates on a regular basis, approximately two weeks following 
the release of BEA's preliminary estimates of GDP. 


	BEA's major national, international, regional, and industry estimates; the Survey of Current Business; and BEA news releases are 
	available without charge on BEA's Web site:

                                       		<www.bea.gov>

	Summary BEA estimates are available on recorded messages at the time of public release at the following telephone numbers:

                                (202)  606-5306   Gross domestic product
                                       606-5303   Personal income and outlays
                                       606-5362   U.S. international transactions

	Most of BEA's estimates and analyses appear in the Survey of Current Business, BEA's monthly journal.  Subscriptions and single copies of the printed Survey are for sale
	by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office.  Internet: 
	<bookstore.gpo.gov>; phone: 202-512-1800; fax: 202-512-2250; mail: Stop SSOP, Washington, DC 20402-0001.
                               		*          *          *

	Next release - Sales of U.S. Tourism Industries for Fourth Quarter 2003 will be released on March 15, 2004 at 8:30 A.M. EDT.