India rises to 39th rank on global tourism index

New Delhi, May 21

India’s rank on the World Economic Forum’s Travel & Tourism Development Index 2024 has risen to 39th place, with global tourism activities returning to pre-pandemic levels, the annual report showed on Tuesday.

Port, Air infra help drive traffic

• According to World Economic Forum’s latest report, global tourism activities returned to pre-pandemic levels.
• It showed India is highly price-competitive, boasts competitive air transport and ground and port infrastructure, which help drive travel & tourism

While the US topped the list, India is ranked highest in South Asia and among the lower-middle-income economies, the WEF said.

India was ranked 54th in the previously published index in 2021, though changes made to the index parameters limit its comparability to earlier years.

After the US, Spain, Japan, France and Australia figure among the top five in the 2024 list. The index, prepared in collaboration with the University of Surrey, showed India is highly price-competitive (18th) and boasts competitive air transport (26th) and ground and port (25th) infrastructure.

In particular, India’s strong natural (6th), cultural (9th) and non-leisure (9th) resources help drive travel, and the country is only one of three to score in the top 10 for all the resource pillars, the WEF said.

Moreover, despite a decline compared to 2019, the country still scores well for travel and tourism demand sustainability, especially thanks to more sustainable long stays among inbound visitors.