| BEA | OECD | WTO | |
| Statistical unit | Visitor | Visitor | Visitor |
| Concept of visitor | Person traveling outside of usual environment for less than 12 months | Same as BEA | Same as BEA |
| Concept of usual environment | Place of usual activities—residence, work, leisure
Minimum distance determined by available data sources—between 50 and 100 miles from residence | Place of usual activities—residence, work, leisure
Tourism determined by minimum distance from usual environment Minimum distance defined by country | Same as OECD |
| Criteria distinguishing tourism from non-tourism expenditures | Direct contact between visitor and supplier of tourism commodities | Same as BEA | Same as BEA |
| Tourism demand | Expenditures by visitors | Same as BEA | Same as BEA |
| Tourism commodities/tourism industries | Determined by what U.S. visitors do | Determined by share of commodity purchased by visitors or produced primarily as an attraction for visitors | Same as OECD |
| Infrastructure investments—private and public | Future extension of TTSA's | Private purchases of fixed assets, for example, capital investment in hotel structures
Public purchases include airports, long-distance bus stations List still under discussion | Private purchases of fixed assets are same as OECD |
BEA Bureau of Economic Analysis
OECD Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
WTO World Tourism Organization