Switzerland and Austria have the most attractive environments for developing the travel and tourism industry, according to a new report released by the World Economic Forum on Thursday.

After Switzerland and Austria, Germany, Iceland, the United States, Hong Kong, Canada, Singapore, Luxembourg and the United Kingdom complete the top ten list of most attractive tourist sites, said the first-ever report of "travel and tourism competitiveness."

The report is based on a combination of data from publicly available sources, international travel and tourism institutions and experts, as well as the results of a comprehensive annual survey, the Geneva-based World Economic Forum said.

It provides a travel and tourism competitiveness ranking of 124 countries and regions around the world.

"Our study is not a 'beauty contest', or a statement about the attractiveness of a country," said Jennifer Blanke, senior economist of the World Economic Forum's Global Competitiveness Network.

"On the contrary, we aim to measure the factors that make it attractive to develop the travel and tourism industry of individual countries," she said.

"The top rankings of Switzerland, Austria, Germany, Hong Kong and Singapore 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," she added.

According to the World Economic Forum, this "cross-country analysis of the drivers of competitiveness in travel and tourism provides useful comparative information for making business decisions and additional value to governments wishing to improve their travel and tourism environments."

Other countries that ranked high in the list include Denmark, France, Australia, New Zealand, Spain, Finland and Sweden, mostly in Europe.