An AAP report says that Australia has been ranked the fourth most competitive tourism destination among 130 countries worldwide in a new report by the World Economic Forum (WEF).
The Tourism and Transport Competitiveness Report 2008 by the Geneva-based foundation ranked each country using 14 characteristics – including environmental sustainability, transport and tourism infrastructure and natural resources – to find the countries best placed to compete for tourism dollars into the future.’
Switzerland was ranked first for its impressive number of World Heritage cultural and natural sites, its excellent education and training for tourism staff and transport infrastructure.
Austria was ranked second and Germany third for their cultural and natural resources and fairs and exhibitions that cater for business travellers.
Australia was the only Asian and Oceanic country in the top 10, and scored a special mention for ranking first worldwide for its number of World Heritage natural sites and fifth for its cultural resources.
The report noted that the importance of the natural environment in Australia’s leisure tourism was well backed up by stringent environmental regulations.
Australia’s “excellent” air transport infrastructure and “good” tourism infrastructure were also mentioned.
“Australia also benefits from the relatively strong government prioritisation of the tourism sector and effective destination-marketing campaigns,” the report said.
Spain ranked fifth, the United Kingdom sixth, the USA seventh. African countries dominated the bottom of the list.
The report noted the public’s rising interest in the environment would become a major factor in the industry.
“With this increasing awareness, the demand for green tourism products is expected to grow further in the years to come,” it says.
Tourism and Transport Forum (TTF) managing director Christopher Brown said the improved position – up from 14th last year – was excellent news.
“The survey results confirm that Australia remains extremely competitive in the most fiercely contested global market of all – tourism,” Mr Brown told AAP.
He said it was particularly pleasing that Australia had been recognised for its wealth of World Heritage natural sites given the importance of nature-based tourism.
“As the authors point out, environmental sustainability is vital to the health of a country’s tourism industry, so it is crucial that we maintain our reputation as a ‘clean, green’ destination.”
A Report by The Mole from AAP
