Travel and tourism have become one of the world’s most important economic sectors, supporting millions of jobs, attracting foreign investment, and driving infrastructure development. Countries that strongly prioritize tourism usually invest heavily in airports, hotels, transportation, digital services, cultural promotion, and visitor safety. Governments with high tourism prioritization scores actively support the industry through national policies, international marketing campaigns, tourism infrastructure projects, and easier travel regulations.
According to 2024 global tourism competitiveness data, several countries stand out for making travel and tourism a major national priority. Mediterranean destinations, island economies, and tourism-dependent nations often achieve the highest scores because tourism contributes a significant share of their GDP and employment. Countries such as Spain, Mauritius, Iceland, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, and the United Arab Emirates continue to rank among the world’s strongest tourism-focused economies due to aggressive investment strategies and long-term tourism development plans. The World Economic Forum notes that tourism remains a major driver of global economic growth and international connectivity.
The 2024 data also highlights how tourism priorities differ between advanced and developing economies. High-income countries often focus on sustainable tourism, premium travel experiences, and advanced infrastructure, while emerging economies increasingly view tourism as a tool for economic diversification, foreign currency earnings, and employment generation. Governments worldwide are now competing to attract international visitors by improving air connectivity, easing visa policies, promoting cultural heritage, and expanding eco-tourism opportunities.
Highest Prioritization of Travel and Tourism by Country
| Rank | Country | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 🇧🇧 Barbados | 6 |
| 2 | 🇰🇭 Cambodia | 6 |
| 3 | 🇨🇷 Costa Rica | 6 |
| 4 | 🇩🇴 Dominican Republic | 6 |
| 5 | 🇪🇬 Egypt | 6 |
| 6 | 🇪🇪 Estonia | 6 |
| 7 | 🇮🇸 Iceland | 6 |
| 8 | 🇮🇷 Iran | 6 |
| 9 | 🇯🇲 Jamaica | 6 |
| 10 | 🇯🇴 Jordan | 6 |
| 11 | 🇱🇻 Latvia | 6 |
| 12 | 🇲🇹 Malta | 6 |
| 13 | 🇲🇺 Mauritius | 6 |
| 14 | 🇸🇬 Singapore | 6 |
| 15 | 🇸🇮 Slovenia | 6 |
| 16 | 🇪🇸 Spain | 6 |
| 17 | 🇨🇭 Switzerland | 6 |
| 18 | 🇹🇭 Thailand | 6 |
| 19 | 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates | 6 |
| 20 | 🇦🇱 Albania | 5 |
| 21 | 🇦🇷 Argentina | 5 |
| 22 | 🇦🇲 Armenia | 5 |
| 23 | 🇦🇺 Australia | 5 |
| 24 | 🇦🇹 Austria | 5 |
| 25 | 🇧🇭 Bahrain | 5 |
| 26 | 🇧🇬 Bulgaria | 5 |
| 27 | 🇨🇦 Canada | 5 |
| 28 | 🇨🇱 Chile | 5 |
| 29 | 🇭🇷 Croatia | 5 |
| 30 | 🇨🇾 Cyprus | 5 |
| 31 | 🇨🇿 Czechia | 5 |
| 32 | 🇫🇷 France | 5 |
| 33 | 🇬🇪 Georgia | 5 |
| 34 | 🇩🇪 Germany | 5 |
| 35 | 🇬🇷 Greece | 5 |
| 36 | 🇬🇹 Guatemala | 5 |
| 37 | 🇭🇺 Hungary | 5 |
| 38 | 🇮🇹 Italy | 5 |
| 39 | 🇯🇵 Japan | 5 |
| 40 | 🇰🇷 Korea, Rep. | 5 |
| 41 | 🇱🇹 Lithuania | 5 |
| 42 | 🇲🇪 Montenegro | 5 |
| 43 | 🇳🇵 Nepal | 5 |
| 44 | 🇳🇱 Netherlands | 5 |
| 45 | 🇳🇿 New Zealand | 5 |
| 46 | 🇴🇲 Oman | 5 |
| 47 | 🇵🇦 Panama | 5 |
| 48 | 🇵🇾 Paraguay | 5 |
| 49 | 🇵🇪 Peru | 5 |
| 50 | 🇵🇭 Philippines | 5 |
| 51 | 🇵🇱 Poland | 5 |
| 52 | 🇵🇹 Portugal | 5 |
| 53 | 🇶🇦 Qatar | 5 |
| 54 | 🇱🇰 Sri Lanka | 5 |
| 55 | 🇸🇪 Sweden | 5 |
| 56 | 🇹🇷 Turkiye | 5 |
| 57 | 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | 5 |
| 58 | 🇺🇸 United States | 5 |
| 59 | 🇺🇾 Uruguay | 5 |
| 60 | 🇻🇳 Viet Nam | 5 |
Countries with the highest tourism prioritization scores tend to recognize tourism as a strategic pillar of economic growth. Many of these economies rely heavily on international visitors for employment, foreign exchange earnings, aviation activity, hospitality revenue, and infrastructure investment. Island nations and leisure-focused destinations especially depend on tourism as a major contributor to GDP.
At the same time, the global tourism industry faces increasing pressure to balance growth with sustainability. Overtourism, environmental degradation, climate risks, and infrastructure strain are becoming major concerns for policymakers worldwide. As international travel continues recovering strongly after the pandemic, governments are increasingly focusing on sustainable tourism development, digital tourism systems, eco-tourism investment, and resilient tourism infrastructure to ensure long-term sector growth and competitiveness.
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