Greece has ascended five positions in the 2024 World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Travel & Tourism Development Index (TTDI), now ranking 21st among 119 countries. This is the second edition of the TTDI, which evolved from the Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Index (TTCI), a key index produced by the WEF since 2007.
With an overall score of 4.52, Greece showed significant improvement from its 2019 ranking. Other Southern European countries also performed well, with Spain ranking 2nd (5.18), Italy 9th (4.90), and Portugal 12th (4.78). Meanwhile, Cyprus dropped to the 30th spot with a score of 4.37.
Greece received high marks in health and hygiene (6.34), tourist services and infrastructure (5.95), ICT readiness (5.85), and air transport infrastructure (5.52). However, the country’s weakest areas were in travel and tourism demand sustainability (3.00), cultural resources (3.01), natural resources (3.03), price competitiveness (3.16), and non-leisure resources (3.33).
In comparison to the Southern European average, Greece excelled in environmental sustainability (5.23 vs. 4.94), health and hygiene (6.34 vs. 5.98), and tourist services and infrastructure (5.95 vs. 5.07). However, it lagged in business environment (4.47 vs. 4.64), security (5.30 vs. 5.88), price competitiveness (3.16 vs. 3.66), and cultural resources (3.01 vs. 3.90).
The top five countries in the biennial index are the US, Spain, Japan, France, and Australia, with European countries dominating the top 10 travel and tourism destinations. Of the top 30 scorers, 26 are high-income countries, including 19 in Europe and seven in Asia-Pacific. These top 30 nations accounted for over three-quarters of the travel and tourism industry GDP in 2022.
WEF analysts anticipate that post-pandemic pent-up demand will drive passenger numbers back to 2019 levels this year.
(Source: GTP)
