If you are interested in traveling or working in the tourism industry, it’s important to understand how countries rank in terms of tourism competitiveness. One organization that monitors this is the World Economic Forum (WEF), which has been publishing its Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report since 2007. The report looks at a variety of factors that contribute to a country’s tourism competitiveness, including policy and regulatory frameworks, business environment and infrastructure, cultural resources and business travel, among others.
The WEF evaluates 140 economies based on 14 pillars of tourism competitiveness. These pillars are:
1. Business Environment
This pillar looks at the ease of doing business in a country, including factors such as government transparency, labor market flexibility, and intellectual property protection.
2. Safety and Security
This pillar assesses the level of safety and security for tourists in a country, including crime rates, terrorism impact, and reliability of police services.
3. Health and Hygiene
This pillar evaluates a country’s health infrastructure and disease control measures.
4. Human Resources
This pillar looks at the quality and availability of human resources for the tourism industry, such as education levels and language skills.
5. ICT Readiness
This pillar assesses a country’s information communication technology infrastructure for the tourism industry.
6. Prioritization of Travel & Tourism
This pillar evaluates the level of government support for travel and tourism industry development.
7. International Openness
This pillar looks at a country’s openness to international visitors, including visa requirements and bilateral air service agreements.
8. Price Competitiveness
This pillar evaluates a country’s price levels for goods and services related to travel and tourism compared to other countries.
9. Environmental Sustainability
This pillar assesses a country’s environmental policies and conservation efforts related to travel and tourism.
10. Air Transport Infrastructure
This pillar evaluates the quality and efficiency of a country’s air transport infrastructure.
11. Ground Transport Infrastructure
This pillar looks at the quality and efficiency of a country’s ground transport infrastructure, including road, rail, and public transport systems.
12. Tourism Infrastructure
This pillar assesses the quality and availability of tourism-related infrastructure, such as accommodation, restaurants, and attractions.
13. Cultural Resources & Business Travel
This pillar evaluates a country’s cultural resources for tourists as well as its business travel infrastructure.
14. Natural Resources
This pillar looks at a country’s natural resources that are attractive to tourists, such as beaches, mountains, and wildlife.
The WEF considers all 14 pillars to be important for overall tourism competitiveness, but some pillars are considered more important than others depending on the region or type of tourist being Targeted. For example, cultural resources may be more important for countries Targeting cultural tourists while safety and security may be more important for countries Targeting adventure tourists.
In summary, the World Economic Forum monitors countries’ tourism competitiveness through 14 pillars that evaluate various factors such as business environment, safety and security, health and hygiene, human resources, ICT readiness, prioritization of travel and tourism by government authorities among others. Evaluations are done annually to help travelers make informed decisions about where to go based on these criteria.