September 12, 2019
India recorded the greatest improvement from 2017 among the top 25 per cent of all countries ranked in the report
India stands out through its combination of rich natural and cultural resources and strong price competitiveness
Countries were ranked in four sub-indexes: enabling environment, travel and tourism policy, infrastructure, and natural resources
India saw 10 million foreign arrivals in 2017, and the government plans to increase this to 20 million by 2020
In an announcement will enhance the country’s attractiveness as a destination for foreign tourists, India has moved up six places to rank 34th on 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. The top spots on the list released on September 4 were held by Spain, France, Germany, Japan, and the US.
In 2015, India had been ranked 52, and at 40 in 2017. The report also states that India had the greatest improvement from 2017 among the top 25 per cent of all countries ranked in the report. This has helped it become the only lower-middle income country in the top 35. The report further states that India, along with Thailand and Brazil, stands out in this quartile through its combination of rich natural and cultural resources and strong price competitiveness.
The 140 economies were ranked in four sub-indexes: enabling environment, travel and tourism policy and enabling conditions, infrastructure, and natural and cultural resources. Together, these four sub-indexes include a total of 14 pillars, which are used to score a country’s overall travel and tourism competitiveness.
India has been making a concerted effort to attract more foreign visitors to the country. One such recent measure was a reduction in the e-visa fee, while also offering the option of short-term and long-term tourist e-visas. The Tourism Ministry is also planning to launch Arabic, Chinese, and Spanish versions of the Incredible India website shortly. Additionally, there has been a push towards night tourism, adventure tourism, and nature tourism to make India an attractive holiday destination.
India saw 10 million foreign arrivals in 2017, and the government is planning to increase this to 20 million by 2020. The report proves that India is headed in the right direction, and is sure to see a greater number of foreign tourists in the coming years.