Philippines slips five notches in global tourism survey

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippines slipped five notches in the latest tourism competitiveness ranking released by a Switzerland-based group. The Philippines placed 86th among 133 countries surveyed, sliding from its 81st spot last year, the World Economic Forum said, citing its third annual Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report. In the Asian region, the Philippines ranked 16th just behind Indonesia despite its natural resources. Although the Philippines secured high rankings for the number of World Heritage natural sites (23rd), total known species (40th), excellent price competitiveness (16th), few visa requirements for foreign visitors (third), and comparatively open air service agreements (28th), it was weak in areas of safety and security (113th), health and hygiene levels (87th), and transport, tourism, and ICT infrastructure that require upgrading. WEF gave high ratings to the Philippines in price competitiveness owing to overall low costs such as hotel prices, low ticket taxes, and airport charges. “There are also some aspects of the policy rules and regulations regime that are conducive to the development of the sector, such as few visa requirements for foreign visitors and bilateral Air Service Agreements that are assessed as comparatively open," WEF said. “Other areas – such as the protection of property rights, rules related to foreign investment, and the difficulty of starting a business in the country – remain a challenge." Switzerland had the most attractive environment for developing the travel and tourism industry, followed by other European nations Austria, and Germany, respectively. France, Canada, Spain, Sweden, the United States, Australia and Singapore completed the top 10 in the category. Next: Brunei, Indonesia beat the Philippines in tourism ranking Brunei, Indonesia beat the Philippines in tourism ranking Besides Singapore, other Philippine peers in the Southeast Asian region fared better in the ranking with Malaysia, 32nd; Thailand, 39th; Brunei, 69th; and Indonesia, 81st. Vietnam was ranked 89th. “Our study aims to measure the factors that make it attractive to develop the travel and tourism industry of individual countries. The top rankings of Switzerland, Austria, Germany, France and Canada demonstrate the importance of supportive business and regulatory frameworks, coupled with world-class transport and tourism infrastructure, and a focus on nurturing human and natural resources for fostering an environment that is attractive for developing the travel and tourism sector," said Jennifer Blanke, Senior Economist of the World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Network. The rankings are based on the Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Index (TTCI). The TTCI uses a combination of data from publicly available sources, international travel and tourism institutions and experts, as well as the results of the Executive Opinion Survey, a comprehensive annual survey conducted by the WEF, together with its network of partner institutes such as research institutes and business organizations in the countries covered by the report. “To thrive, or even survive, in this period of uncertainty and change, both the travel and tourism industry, and destinations themselves will need to approach the challenges in a holistic and systemic manner. This would allow innovative ideas to emerge, new directions to be taken, new alliances to be forged and profits to be reaped," said Thea Chiesa, Head of Aviation, Travel and Tourism at the WEF. - GMANews.TV