Thailand Moves up in the WEF Tourism Competitiveness

Thailand has seen its ranking move up three notches to thirty ninth among one hundred and thirty three countries included in the third annual Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report published by the World Economic Forum (the WEF).

However, the Thai Kingdom's overall competitiveness score is unchanged at 4.4. The maximum score possible is seven.

The rankings are based on the WEF's Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Index, which measures the different regulatory and business-related issues that have been identified as levers for improving travel and tourism competitiveness in countries around the world.

"It [Thailand] is endowed with rich natural resources and a strong affinity for travel and tourism [ranked 24th and 22nd, respectively], and with a very friendly attitude of the population towards tourists [13th]. This is buttressed by the sector's strong prioritisation by the government [12th] with, similar to Malaysia, excellent destination-marketing campaigns and good price competitiveness," the report said.

However, some weaknesses remain despite the prioritisation of the sector, it said, citing some aspects of the regulatory environment such as stringent foreign ownership restrictions, visa restrictions for many travellers and the long time required for starting a business in the country.

Source - The Nation