Taiwan Ranks the 30th in Global Tourism Competitiveness

      The Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Index announced recently for the first time by the World Economic Forum (WEF) gives Switzerland the first place in the ranking of 124 countries, with Austria coming in the second and Germany the third. Taiwan is the 30^th. (see Table 1)

As the United Nations World Tourism Organization (WTO) and the World Travel and Tourism Committee (WTTC) point out, travel and tourism constitute the economic sector that has accounted for the fastest growth of foreign-exchange earnings and job creation in recent years. The sector accounted for 10.3% of global gross domestic product (GDP) and 8.2% of worldwide employment in 2006. Travel and tourism also have a positive indirect effect on development by, for example, encouraging governments to improve roads, public transit systems and other infrastructure, and to preserve the sustainability of the natural environment.

        In its rankings, the WEF uses 13 ¡§pillars¡¨ in three categories. The first category is the regulatory framework: policy rules and regulations, environmental regulation, safety and security, health and hygiene, and prioritization of travel and tourism. The second category is business environment and infrastructure: air transport infrastructure, ground transport infrastructure, tourism infrastructure, ICT infrastructure, and price competitiveness in the T&T industry. The third category is human, cultural, and natural resources: human resources, national tourism perception, and natural and cultural resources.

To view the 2007 Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Index, please visit this website: http://www.weforum.org/en/initiatives/gcp/TravelandTourismReport/index.htm.

Table 1  2007 Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Index

　

Country	Ranking	Score	Country	Ranking	Score
Switzerland	1	5.66	Denmark	11	5.27
Austria	2	5.54	France	12	5.23
Germany	3	5.48	Australia	13	5.21
Iceland	4	5.45	New Zealand	14	5.20
United States	5	5.45	Spain	15	5.18
Hong Kong	6	5.33	Finland	16	5.16
Canada	7	5.31	Sweden	17	5.13
Singapore	8	5.31	United Arab Emirates	18	5.09
Luxemburg	9	5.31	Japan	25	4.99
United Kingdom	10	5.28	Taiwan	30	4.82

Source: World Economic Forum, ¡§2007 Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Index;

       rearranged by the Council for Economic Planning and Development

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