Switzerland, Austria and Germany have the most attractive environments for developing the travel and tourism industry, according to the second annual Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report 2008, released today by the World Economic Forum. Australia, Spain, the United Kingdom, the United States, Sweden, Canada and France complete the top-10 list. The rankings cover 130 countries around the world.Improvements have been made to the Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Index (TTCI) this year. The “environmental regulation” pillar has been revised and improved as well as being re-named the “environmental sustainability” pillar to better reflect its components and to capture the increasingly recognized importance of sustainability in the sector’s development.The TTCI measures the factors and policies that make it attractive to develop the T&T; sector in different countries. It is composed of 14 pillars of travel and tourism competitiveness: 1. Policy rules and regulations2. Environmental sustainability3. Safety and security4. Health and hygiene5. Prioritization of travel and tourism6. Air transport infrastructure7. Ground transport infrastructure8. Tourism infrastructure9. Information and communication technology (ICT) infrastructure10. Price competitiveness11. Human capital12. Affinity for travel & tourism13. Natural resources14. Cultural resources This cross-country analysis of the drivers of competitiveness in travel and tourism provides useful comparative information for making business decisions and additional value to governments wishing to improve their travel and tourism environments.Source: World Economic Forum; read full press release here.Note that “Policy rules and regulations” is regarded the first pillar – thus in my opinion emphasising the importance of a legal frame i.e. travel and tourism law.
