India ranked 39th in the World Economic Forum’s Travel & Tourism Development Index 2024. It marks a significant improvement from its 54th position in the 2021 index. However, changes in index parameters since 2021 make direct comparisons challenging.
Top Countries
- The United States tops the list, followed by Spain, Japan, France, Australia, Germany, the United Kingdom, China, Italy, and Switzerland.
Factors Contributing to India’s Ranking
- India’s rich cultural heritage, diverse landscapes, increased investments in tourism infrastructure, and efforts to enhance travel and tourism sustainability and safety contribute to its rise.
- It ranks highly for price competitiveness (18th rank), Air Transport (26th rank), and Ground and Port infrastructure (25th rank).
- India is one of only three countries to score in the top 10 across all resource pillars, including Natural Resources (6th rank), Cultural Resources (9th rank), and Non-Leisure Resources (9th rank).
Sustainability and Challenges
- Despite a decline compared to 2019, India still performs well in travel and tourism demand sustainability.
- The overall Travel and Tourism Development Index (TTDI) score is 2.1% lower than in 2019, attributed to global inflation and supply issues.
- Decline in price competition and air transport, and tourist services not fully recovering to 2019 levels are observed.
Future Outlook
- With COVID-19 travel restrictions lifted and renewed enthusiasm for travel, international tourist arrivals and the travel and tourism sector’s contribution to global GDP are expected to return to pre-pandemic levels this year.
- This resurgence in international tourist arrivals is anticipated to provide a significant boost to the global travel and tourism industry.
Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) with Answers:
- What is India’s rank in the World Economic Forum’s Travel & Tourism Development Index 2024?
- A) 39th
- B) 54th
- C) 10th
- D) 1st
- Answer: A) 39th
- Which country tops the list in the Travel & Tourism Development Index 2024?
- A) India
- B) United States
- C) China
- D) Spain
- Answer: B) United States
- What contributes to India’s rise in the Travel & Tourism Development Index?
- A) Lack of cultural heritage
- B) Limited investments in tourism infrastructure
- C) Price competitiveness and sustainability efforts
- D) Decline in air transport services
- Answer: C) Price competitiveness and sustainability efforts
- What is the primary reason for the decline in India’s overall Travel and Tourism Development Index (TTDI) score?
- A) Global inflation and supply issues
- B) Lack of demand for travel
- C) Stronger competition from other countries
- D) Increase in air transport fares
- Answer: A) Global inflation and supply issues
- What is expected to drive a significant resurgence in international tourist arrivals according to the World Economic Forum?
- A) Stricter travel restrictions
- B) Decline in demand for travel
- C) Renewed enthusiasm for travel
- D) Decrease in global GDP
- Answer: C) Renewed enthusiasm for travel