India moves up 12 places in Travel & Tourism Competitive Index of the WEF

India maintaining its upward trajectory in the sector

Tourism

India has moved up in ranking from 52nd to 40th position in the Travel and Tourism Competitive Index (TTCI) of the World Economic Forum (WEF). The tourism sector in the country has been on a growth trajectory in the recent past.

This data is based on the 2017 edition of the Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report that features the latest iteration of the Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Index (TTCI). The TTCI benchmarks the travel and tourism competitiveness of 136 economies. The TTCI measures “the set of factors and policies that enable the sustainable development of the Travel & Tourism (T&T) sector, which in turn, contributes to the development and competitiveness of a country”. It comprises four sub-indexes, 14 pillars, and 90 individual indicators, distributed among the different pillars.

India’s ranking in the TTCI of World Economic Forum moved from 65th position to 52nd position in 2015. This year, India has moved up by another 12 positions and ranked at the 40th position. In the last three years, India has cumulatively improved its ranking by 25 places, which is a significant achievement.

Spain tops the 2017 edition of the TTCI global rankings for the second time, followed by France (2nd), Germany (3rd), Japan (4th, gaining five places), the United Kingdom (5th), the United States (6th, losing two places), Australia (7th), Italy (8th), Canada (9th, up one) and Switzerland (10th, losing four places).

Dr Mahesh Sharma, Minister of State (I/C) for Tourism and Culture acknowledged the vision, guidance and support of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the tourism sector of the country that is the driving force and motivation for everyone to continuously work for the growth of Tourism in India.

India continues to allure international tourists with its vast cultural and natural resources with a ranking of 9th and 24th respectively. In terms of price competitiveness advantage, India is ranked 10th.

India continues to enhance its cultural resources, protecting more cultural sites and intangible expressions through UNESCO World Heritage lists, and they also increasing their digital presence.

India is ranked 55th, up by 14 places in terms of international openness, which has been possible through stronger visa policies. Implementing both visa-on-arrival and e-visa has enabled India to rise through the ranks.

The key reasons for India’s jump in the Travel and Tourism Competitive Index 2017 should be attributed to the pro-active steps taken by the Indian Government in terms of the development of tourism infrastructure and easing of entry formalities for tourists by introducing the e-visa facilities.