India has climbed to the 39th position on the World Economic Forum’s Travel & Tourism Development Index 2024, a significant improvement from its 54th rank in 2021. This rise comes as global tourism activities return to pre-pandemic levels. The United States topped the list, with India leading in South Asia and among lower-middle-income economies.
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- India’s Rank Improvement: India moved up from 54th to 39th in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index.
- Top Countries: The US ranks first, followed by Spain, Japan, France, and Australia.
- Regional Leader: India ranks highest in South Asia and among lower-middle-income economies.
- Competitive Strengths: India is highly price-competitive (18th) and has robust Air Transport (26th) and Ground and Port (25th) infrastructure.
- Resource Rankings: India ranks 6th for Natural Resources, 9th for Cultural Resources, and 9th for Non-Leisure Resources.
- Sustainability: Despite a decline since 2019, India scores well for travel and tourism demand sustainability, thanks to sustainable long stays by inbound visitors.
- Impact of Inflation: Global inflation has affected travel and tourism enabling conditions, with a decline in price competitiveness and incomplete recovery of air transport and tourist services infrastructure to 2019 levels.
- Overall TTDI Score: India’s overall Travel and Tourism Development Index score is 2.1% below its 2019 level.
- Global Recovery: International tourist arrivals and the travel sector’s GDP contribution are expected to return to pre-pandemic levels in 2024, driven by the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions and strong demand.
- Regional Highlights: The Middle East saw the highest recovery in international tourist arrivals (20% above 2019 levels), while Europe, Africa, and the Americas showed strong recovery, around 90% in 2023.
