According to the World Economic Forum (WEF)’s 2nd edition of the Travel & Tourism Development Index (TTDI 2024), India is ranked 39th among 119 economies with a TTDI score of 4.25.
- The United States of America (USA) has topped the list with a TTDI score of 5.24 followed by Spain (5.18) and Japan (5.09) at 2nd and 3rd rank respectively. With 2.78 score, Mali placed at the bottom of the Travel and Tourism Development Index 2024.
- India is ranked highest in South Asia and among the lower-middle-income economies. India was ranked 54th in TTDI 2021 with a score of 4.1.
About TTDI:
i.The index was compiled in collaboration with the University of Surrey in United Kingdom (UK).
ii.TTDI 2024 is evolved from the Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Index (TTCI) series, a flagship index of WEF that has been in production since 2007.
Iii.TTDI 2024 covered 119 countries’ travel and tourism sectors across various factors and policies.
Indian Scenario:
i.India showcases strong price competitiveness (18th) and competitive air transport (26th), ground, and port infrastructure (25th).
ii.India ranks high in natural (6th), cultural (9th), and non-leisure (9th) resources, making it one of three countries in the top 10 across all resource pillars.
Top 5 countries on TTDI 2024:
| Rank | Economy | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 39 | India | 4.25 |
| 1 | USA | 5.24 |
| 2 | Spain | 5.18 |
| 3 | Japan | 5.09 |
| 4 | France | 5.07 |
| 5 | Australia | 5 |
Global Scenario:
i.West Asia saw the highest recovery in international tourist arrivals, surpassing 2019 levels by 20%.
ii.Europe, Africa, and the Americas exhibited robust recoveries at about 90% of 2019 levels in 2023.
iii.High-income economies generally have more favorable conditions for travel and tourism development.
iv.Among 71 economies with improved TTDI scores since 2019, 52 are from low to upper-middle-income brackets.
- Saudi Arabia (+5.7%, 50th to 41st) and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) (+4.4%, 25th to 18th) are the only high-income economies in the top 10 most improved.
v.Developing nations with notable improvements include Uzbekistan (+7.8%, 94th to 78th), Côte d’Ivoire (+6.4%, 116th to 114th), Albania (+5.9%, 78th to 66th), Tanzania (+4.5%, 88th to 81st), and Indonesia (+4.5%, 36th to 22nd).
vi.Post-pandemic growth in the travel and tourism sector varies, with 71 out of 119 ranked economies increasing their scores between 2019 and 2024.
Recent Related News:
i.The Transparency International released its 2023 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) in which India ranked 93 out of 180 countries with an overall score of 39. India’s score was 40 in 2022 with 85th rank.
ii.According to the monthly update (February 2024) of the Henley Passport Index 2024, India’s ranking dropped from 80th to 85th between January 2024 and February 2024.
About World Economic Forum (WEF):
President – Børge Brende
Headquarters – Cologny, Switzerland
Established – 1971
