UAE, Qatar tops global ranking
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The fifth Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report, released today by the World Economic Forum in conjunction with Booz & Company revealed that Switzerland, Germany and Austria lead in terms of their travel and tourism industry competitiveness with Spain, United Kingdom, United States, France, Canada, Sweden and Singapore completing in the top 10 position.
With regards to the Middle East and North Africa region, the UAE (28th) was the top performer followed by Qatar (41st globally). Bahrain has fallen 15 places since the 2011 assessment, namely due to security concerns. However the country maintains a number of clear strengths. Those include a highly-evolved transport infrastructure, skilled human resources and strong price competiveness. However, Lebanon ranks 8th in the region and 69th overall with a number of cultural attributes, including five World Heritage cultural sites and some creative industries. Egypt, ranked 10th regionally, dropping 10 positions in the global assessment to reach 85th overall.
George Atalla, Partner with Booz & Company said: “With its year-round sunshine, white-sand beaches, shopping malls, entertainment centers, recreational facilities and some of the finest restaurants in the world, UAE is definitely a popular tourist destination. Despite the impact on natural resources, the country has managed to build a thriving travel and tourism industry. It is also a world-class international hub for global air travel.”
The Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Index covers 140 countries and contains detailed country profiles for the 140 economies.