“The Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report 2011: Focus on Moving beyond the Downturn” was released by the World Economic Forum at the Global Tourism Forum 2011 this month.
The Travel & Tourism (T&T) Competitiveness Report 2011 measures and analyzes the drivers of T&T competitiveness in economies around the world. The report includes an analysis of the rankings of the Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Index (TTCI), which aims to measure the factors and policies that make it attractive to develop the T&T sector in 139 industrialized and emerging economies. It also features a variety of essays on key T&T issues by prominent industry thinkers.
Among the 139 countries, Armenia was given an overall rank of 90 on the Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Index, up one place from last year.
Armenia’s neighboring countries fared better: Georgia was ranked 73rd, Azerbaijan 83rd and Turkey 50th. Iran was given an overall rank of 114.
Among the 42 countries included in the Europe category, Armenia came in 40th, ranked higher than Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Moldova.
Topping the TTCI list are Switzerland, Germany, France, Austria, Sweden, the United States, the UK, Spain, Canada and Singapore.
The TTCI is based on three broad categories of variables that facilitate or drive T&T competitiveness: the T&T regulatory framework, the T&T business environment and infrastructure, and the T&T human, cultural, and natural resources. These, in turn, are composed of a number of pillars of T&T competitiveness, including policy rules & regulations, environmental sustainability, safety and security, health and hygiene, tourism infrastructure, price competitiveness, and human, natural and cultural resources.