The new report is set to be released on 1 March 2007

The World Economic Forum will launch the first-ever Travel and Tourism Index covering 124 countries around the world. The annual report is set to be released on 1 March 2007 and preliminary data will be presented at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos.

In many countries, travel and tourism is a critical sector impacting national prosperity and economic growth. A cross-country analysis of the drivers of competitiveness in travel and tourism will provide useful comparative information for making business decisions and provide additional value to governments wishing to improve their travel and tourism environments.

“The index is not a ‘beauty contest’, or a statement about the attractiveness of a country. On the contrary, the index measures the factors that make it attractive to develop the travel and tourism industry of individual countries,” said Jennifer Blanke, Senior Economist of the World Economic Forum. (Click on the picture to watch the full 2-minute interview.)

The World Economic Forum has become a leader in producing competitiveness reports with The Global Competitiveness Report, which is published annually, and The Global Information Technology Report.

The upcoming index uses hard data from publicly available sources such as the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), the World Trade Organization (WTO), the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) as well as survey data from the World Economic Forum’s Executive Opinion Survey which provides unique information on many qualitative institutional and business environment issues.

The report is funded and supported by Booz Allen Hamilton, the International Air Transport Association (IATA), World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), Bombardier, Carlson Group, Emirates Group, Qatar Airways, Royal Jordanian, Swiss International Airlines and Visa International.

For more information go to www.weforum.org/tourism  or contact tourism@weforum.org