When I was browsing through press this weekend, I was pleased to find a report on bet destination for tourism in 2015. Daily Mail reported “Spain was named most tourist-friendly country in the world.” I just got back from a wonderful 4 day trip to Barcelona where I have been previously 3 times. Its such a warm city with some many attractions to offer. According to Daily Mail, Spain has been named “most tourist-friendly country in the world for the first time thanks to its ‘excellent’ culture, entertainment and infrastructure”. I couldn’t agree more!
Daily Mail: “Spain defeated its European rivals in the World Economic Forum’s biennial travel and tourism competitiveness report, which said its position atop the rankings is ‘a positive sign for the country’s nascent recovery’. France came in second place and was followed by Germany, the US and the UK, which rounded out the top five”.
In this year’s report the Geneva-based World Economic Forum ranked 141 countries on factors and policies which influence the travel and tourism sector and contribute to a country’s development and competitiveness. Switzerland placed sixth on the list, while positions seven to 10 were awarded to Australia, Italy, Japan and Canada, respectively. The United Arab Emirates was tops in the Middle East in 24th spot, while Africa’s top performer was South Africa in 48th place. The report said countries in Central and South America fared worse due to infrastructure gaps, safety and security concerns, and business environment issues. Asia-Pacific’s top performers have more advanced economies fared well, with Singapore (11th), Hong Kong SAR (13th) and New Zealand (16th) coming in behind Australia and Japan. China ranked 17th.Each country receives a score in 14 categories, from business environment and safety to health and competitive prices, with the final rankings being determined by an average. Chad ranked at the bottom of the report, followed by Guinea, Angola, Yemen and Mauritania.
