SUMMARY
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MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines jumped up 8 places from 82nd place 2 years ago, to 74th place, in the 2015 World Economic Forum’s annual Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index (TCCI) entitled “Growth Through Shocks.”
The Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report ranks 141 countries across 14 separate dimensions. The study reveals how well countries could deliver sustainable economic and societal benefits through travel and tourism.
“We have managed to sustain our competitive advantage in 3 different dimensions prioritization of travel and tourism, price competitiveness and natural resources. In addition the latest report reveals the country is also strong in the area of international openness,” said Peter Perfecto, Executive Director of the Makati Business club, at the launch of the Oxford Business Group Philippines Report held on May 7.
The country placed 24th in the area of price competitiveness. This takes into account airfare expenses, cost of hotel accommodation; cost of living, purchasing power parity and fuel price costs. All of these factors directly influence the cost of travel.
The country ranked 27th in prioritization of travel and tourism. This area indicates the importance a country assigns to tourism by measuring government spending, effectiveness of marketing campaigns and country branding, and the completeness and timeliness of providing travel and tourism data to international organizations.
The Philippines also placed 49th in the natural resources dimension which includes a number of attractiveness measures, including the number of UNESCO natural World Heritage sites.
The Philippines took 29th in international openness with the country ranking second overall in ease of obtaining visa requirements one of the indicators measures.
Europe dominates, Southeast Asia rising
Europe dominated the top 10 with 6 European countries including Spain which topped the the TTCI global rankings for the first time, helped by ranking in cultural resources (1st), its ability to support online searches for entertainment (4th), a measure of how well the country has adapted to consumption habits brought on by the digital revolution, as well as excellent infrastructure (4th).
It was followed by:
• France – 2nd
• Germany – 3rd
• United States – 4th
• United Kingdom – 5th
• Switzerland – 6th
• Australia 7th
• Italy – 8th
• Japan – 9th
• Canada – 10th
The top 5 performers in the Asia-Pacific are among the region’s more advanced economies including:
• Australia– 7th
• Japan – 9th
• Singapore – 11th
• Hong Kong SAR – 13th
• New Zealand – 16th
However, the most significant growth in international arrivals is observed in Southeast Asia, due part to its region’s price competitiveness and the rapid expansion of its middle class.
Developing regional cooperation on visa policies could further boost tourism, the WEF stated, though investments are also needed in digital connectivity, infrastructure and protection of rich but depleting natural capital. – with a report from Chris Schnabel / Rappler.com
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