New Delhi (TAN): India has climbed six places to rank 34th on world travel and tourism competitiveness index, driven by rich natural and cultural resources and strong price competitiveness, a WEF report said on September 4.
“India showed the greatest percentage improvement to its overall TTCI score, which has helped it become the only lower-middle income country in the top 35, the report said.
Aside from the high ranking of its natural and cultural assets and price competitiveness, India also greatly improved its business environment (89th to 39th), overall T&T policy and enabling conditions (79th to 69th), infrastructure (58th to 55th) and ICT readiness (112th to 105th). Of all the other quartiles, the top 25% was the only one to improve its average performance on the Business Environment pillar, with India, China (92nd to 53rd), and the United States (16th to 4th) showing the greatest percentage increases.
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From a sub-regional perspective, the nation (India) has better air infrastructure (33rd) and ground and port infrastructure (28th), international openness (51st) and natural (14th) and cultural resources (8th). Compared to global benchmarks, the country can also add price competitiveness (13th) to its roster of strengths, the report noted.
India still needs to enhance its enabling environment (98th), tourist service infrastructure (109th) and environmental sustainability (128th), the report said.
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The Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Index (TTCI), which covered 140 economies, measures the set of factors and policies that enable sustainable development of travel and tourism sector which contributes to the development and competitiveness of a country.
Spain held on to the top spot in the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) latest Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report (TTCR), which ranked 140 countries on their relative strengths in global tourism and travel, followed by France, Germany, Japan and US.
The report further added that Asia-Pacific was one of the fastest-growing travel and tourism regions in this year’s ranking.
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Japan retained its spot as Asia’s most competitive travel and tourism economy, ranking 4th globally, while China is by far the largest travel and tourism economy in Asia-Pacific and 13th most competitive globally (up two spots). The Philippines has moved up four places to rank 75 globally. Pakistan (121st) remains the least competitive country in South Asia when it comes to T&T, including the region’s least favourable safety and security (134th) conditions.
