Bangladesh up 3 notches on global travel and tourism index

Bangladesh has moved up three notches on the Travel and Tourism Development Index 2021 and ranks 100th out of 117 countries in the world.

India on the other hand slipped 8 notches (from 46th to 54th), but still remains far ahead of Bangladesh on the index.

Among other South Asian countries, Sri Lanka and Pakistan rank 74th and 83rd respectively. Nepal, however, ranks 102nd, trailing Bangladesh by two notches.

Japan was the best performing country in the ranking, while Chad was the worst performer, placing 117th.  

Released by the World Economic Forum (WEF) on Tuesday, the report, "The Travel & Tourism Development Index 2021: Rebuilding for a Sustainable and Resilient Future," ranked 117 economies on a range of factors crucial to the development, sustainability, and resiliency of their travel and tourism industries.

To boost tourism in Rangamati, at least 10 small and large resorts have been established in recent years. The resorts offer picturesque views away from the hustle and bustle of city life. Photo: TBS

Hit by the Covid-19 pandemic for two years, tourism is showing signs of recovery in many parts of the world, with the US, Japan, Spain, France, and Germany remaining at the top, the report found.

While overall, international tourism and business travel are still below pre-pandemic levels, the sector's recovery has been bolstered by greater vaccination rates, a return to more open travel, and growing demand for domestic and nature-based tourism, said the report.

Aside from the United States (2nd), the top 10 scoring countries are high-income economies in the Europe and Eurasia or Asia-Pacific regions.

Japan tops the ranking, with fellow regional economies Australia and Singapore coming in 7th and 9th, respectively.

To boost tourism in Rangamati, at least 10 small and large resorts have been established in recent years. The resorts offer picturesque views away from the hustle and bustle of city life. Photo: TBS

Italy joined the top 10 in 2021, moving up from 12th in 2019, while Canada slid to 13th from 10th.

The remaining top 10 performers are- Spain (3rd), France (4th), Germany (5th), Switzerland (6th) and the United Kingdom (8th).

Malaysia, India and Mongolia declined the most in ranking.

Despite positive trends, tourism is still facing many hurdles in its recovery due to uneven vaccine distribution, capacity constraints, labor shortages, supply chain disruptions, and more, the report mentioned.

To boost tourism in Rangamati, at least 10 small and large resorts have been established in recent years. The resorts offer picturesque views away from the hustle and bustle of city life. Photo: TBS

In 2021, most countries witnessed high levels of stagnation, but there is potential for growth due to shifting demand dynamics. Many businesses and destinations have adapted to these shifting demand dynamics.

Only 39 out of 117 countries increased their score by over 1% in the ranking, compared to 27 countries declining by over 1%.

Afghanistan, Bhutan, and the Maldives were not ranked in the index.

The Travel and Tourism Development Index 2021 is a direct evolution of the Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Index, which has been published biennially for the past 15 years.