Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation: NAICS 487

About the Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation subsector

The scenic and sightseeing transportation subsector is part of the transportation and warehousing sector.

Industries in the Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation subsector utilize transportation equipment to provide recreation and entertainment. These activities have a production process distinct from passenger transportation carried out for the purpose of other types of for-hire transportation. This process does not emphasize efficient transportation; in fact, such activities often use obsolete vehicles, such as steam trains, to provide some extra ambience. The activity is local in nature, usually involving a same-day return to the point of departure.

North American Industry Classification System

The scenic and sightseeing transportation subsector consists of these industry groups:

  • Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation, Land: NAICS 4871
  • Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation, Water: NAICS 4872
  • Scenic and Sightseeing Transportation, Other: NAICS 4879

Workforce Statistics

This section provides information relating to employment in scenic and sightseeing transportation. These data are obtained from employer or establishment surveys. The following tables present an overview of the industry including the number of jobs, mass layoffs, data for occupations common to the industry, and projections of occupational employment change.

Employment and Layoffs

Data series Back
data
Jun.
2008
Jul.
2008
Aug.
2008
Sep.
2008

Employment (in thousands)

 

Employment, all employees (seasonally adjusted)

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31.3 30.6 (P) 30.5 (P) 30.3

Employment, nonsupervisory workers

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33.0 35.5 (P) 34.0  

Layoffs

 

Mass layoff events

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- (1) - -  

Initial claimants for unemployment benefits

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- (1) - -  

Footnotes
(1) Data do not meet BLS or state agency disclosure standards.
(P) Preliminary

(Source: Current Employment Statistics, Mass Layoff Statistics)

Extended Mass Layoffs

Data series Back
data
3rd quarter
2007
4th quarter
2007
1st quarter
2008
2nd quarter
2008

Extended mass layoff events

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- - (P) 3 (P) -

Separations

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- - (P) 334 (P) -

Initial claimants

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- - (P) 334 (P) -

Footnotes
(P) Preliminary

(Source: Mass Layoff Statistics)

Employment by Occupation

Data series Employment,
2007

Bus drivers, transit and intercity

3,230

Captains, mates, and pilots of water vessels

3,250

Reservation and transportation ticket agents and travel clerks

690

Sailors and marine oilers

1,350

Tour guides and escorts

3,200

(Source: Occupational Employment Statistics)

Projections

For projected (future) employment estimates, see the National Employment Matrix, which includes employment estimates by industry and occupation for scenic and sightseeing transportation.

(Source: Office of Occupational Statistics and Employment Projections)

Earnings and Hours

This section presents data on employee earnings and weekly hours. The latest industry averages of hourly earnings and weekly hours for production or nonsupervisory employees are shown. In addition, recent hourly and annual earnings are shown for occupations commonly found in scenic and sightseeing transportation.

Earnings and Hours of Production Workers

Data series Back
data
May
2008
Jun.
2008
Jul.
2008
Aug.
2008

Average hourly earnings

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$15.24 $14.84 $14.73 (P) $14.59

Average weekly hours

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36.5 38.6 37.8 (P) 37.1

Footnotes
(P) Preliminary

(Source: Current Employment Statistics)

Earnings by Occupation

Data series Wages, 2007
Hourly Annual
Median Mean Median Mean

Bus drivers, transit and intercity

$12.75 $13.30 $26,520 $27,650

Captains, mates, and pilots of water vessels

$17.88 $19.03 $37,200 $39,580

Reservation and transportation ticket agents and travel clerks

$11.87 $12.84 $24,680 $26,710

Sailors and marine oilers

$9.28 $10.75 $19,310 $22,360

Tour guides and escorts

$11.14 $12.32 $23,170 $25,630

(Source: Occupational Employment Statistics)

Work-related Fatalities, Injuries, and Illnesses

This section presents data for the industry on the number of workplace fatalities and the rates of workplace injuries and illnesses per 100 full-time workers in scenic and sightseeing transportation. An injury or illness is considered to be work-related if an event or exposure in the work environment either caused or contributed to the resulting condition or significantly aggravated a pre-existing condition.

Data series 2004 2005 2006 2007

Fatalities

 

Number of fatalities

7 7 8 (P) 8

Rate of injury and illness cases per 100 full-time workers

 

Total recordable cases

4.7 5.3 4.3  

Cases involving days away from work, job restriction, or transfer

2.8 2.4 2.8  

Cases involving days away from work

2.4 2.1 2.1  

Cases involving days of job transfer or restriction

0.5 0.3 0.6  

Footnotes
(P) Preliminary

(Source: Injuries, Illnesses, and Fatalities)

Workplace Trends

This section presents data on the number of establishments in scenic and sightseeing transportation.

Establishments

Data series Back
data
1st quarter
2007
2nd quarter
2007
3rd quarter
2007
4th quarter
2007

Number of establishments

 

Private industry

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(P) 2,956 (P) 3,007 (P) 3,030 (P) 3,040

Local government

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(P) 28 (P) 28 (P) 28 (P) 28

State government

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(P) 11 (P) 11 (P) 11 (P) 11

Federal government

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(P) 5 (P) 5 (P) 5 (P) 5

Footnotes
(P) Preliminary

(Source: Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages)

Other BLS Resources

Career Guide to Industries

To learn about careers from an industry perspective, see the Career Guide to Industries.

 

Data extracted on: October 08, 2008