Ukrainian Times, Kyiv, Ukraine, Monday, March 5, 2007
GENEVA - Geneva - Switzerland, Austria and Germany have the most
attractive environments for developing the travel and tourism industry,
according to the very first ranking of its kind in the Travel & Tourism
Competitiveness Report 2007, released by the World Economic Forum.
Iceland, the United States, Hong Kong, Canada, Singapore, Luxembourg
and the United Kingdom complete the top ten list, while Ukraine ranked
78th [out of the 124 counties covered].
"Our study is not a 'beauty contest', or a statement about the
attractiveness of a country. On the contrary, we aim to measure the factors
that make it attractive to develop the travel and tourism industry of
individual countries.
The top rankings of Switzerland, Austria and 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 & tourism (T&T)
sector," said Jennifer Blanket, Senior Economist of the World Economic
Forum's Global Competitiveness Network.
The rankings are based on the first-ever Travel & Tourism Competitiveness
Index (TTCI) covering 124 countries around the world.
The TTCI uses a combination of data from publicly available sources,
international T&T institutions and T&T experts, as well as the results of
the Executive Opinion Survey, a comprehensive annual survey conducted by
the World Economic Forum, together with its network of Partner Institutes
(leading research institutes and business organizations) in the countries
covered by the Report.
The Survey provides unique data on many qualitative institutional and
business environment issues.
Further, for the purposes of this study and this specific report, a number
of new questions related to T&T competitiveness were added to the Survey
on issues such as the quality of destination marketing and the government's
prioritization of the T&T industry. These questions provide entirely new
data related to T&T competitiveness.
PILLARS OF TRAVEL AND TOURISM COMPETITIVENESS
The TTCI measures the factors and policies that make it attractive to
develop the T&T sector in different countries. It is composed of a number
of "pillars" of travel and tourism competitiveness, of which there are 13 in
all. These are:
1. Policy rules and regulations.
2. Environmental regulation
3. Safety and security.
4. Health and hygiene.
5. Prioritization of travel and tourism.
6. Air transport infrastructure.
7. Ground transport infrastructure.
8. Tourism infrastructure.
9. Information and communication technology (ICT) infrastructure.
10. Price competitiveness.
11. Human capital.
12. National tourism perception.
13. Natural and cultural resources.
"Showing the full economic impact of the sector in the Index will enhance
travel & tourism's relevance for policy-makers.
The Index makes clear that, although industrialized states currently
dominate, poorer countries have a massive potential to be the leading force
in international tourism," said Geoffrey Lipan, Assistant Secretary General
of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).
"The Index will encourage governments to understand the importance of travel
& tourism and create an economic environment, which will help this economic
activity to create entrepreneurs, jobs and careers.
It will also stimulate the public and private sectors to play leading roles
in the issues the world is facing in terms of environmental, social and
cultural challenges," said Jean-Claude Baumgartner, President of the World
Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC).
"The Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report 2007 is designed for any
executive looking to grow in global markets - with a specific focus on
emerging markets. Learning's from this report will allow industry too
effectively and efficiently engage governments in creating blueprints for
sustainable and viable travel & tourism industry development," said Thee
Cheese, Head of Aviation, Travel and Tourism at the World Economic Forum.
"The World Economic Forum has been actively engaged in studying issues
related to national competitiveness for nearly three decades. Given the
importance of the travel and tourism industry to the world economy, the
objective of the Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report 2007 is to explore
the factors driving travel and tourism competitiveness worldwide.
The World Economic Forum has engaged a number of industry and thought
leaders, through its Industry Partnership Programmed, with the goal of
constructing a platform for multistakeholder dialogue to ensure the
development of strong and sustainable national travel and tourism industries
capable of contributing effectively to international economic development,"
noted Klaus Schwab, Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum.
The report also features a number of essays on key T&T issues, ranging from
an analysis of how air transport connectivity boosts national productivity
and economic growth to the role of electronic payments and destination
marketing in driving T&T competitiveness.
The last part of the report contains detailed country profiles for the 124
economies featured in the study, providing a comprehensive summary of the
overall position in the Index rankings as well as a guide to what are
considered to be the most prominent T&T competitive advantages and
disadvantages of each. Also included is an extensive section of data tables
including each indicator used in the Index's computation.
The report was produced by the World Economic Forum in close collaboration
with its Strategic Design Partner, Booz Allen Hamilton, and its Data
Partners: the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the World
Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and the World Travel & Tourism Council
(WTTC).
The World Economic Forum has also received important feedback from a
number of key companies that are industry partners in the effort, such as
Bombardier, Carlson and Emirates Group. Several thought leaders from these
companies and organizations have also contributed insightful papers
addressing various aspects of travel & tourism competitiveness. -30-
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World Economic Forum Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report:
http://www.weforum.org/en/initiatives/gcp/TravelandTourismReport/index.htm------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
UKRAINE PROFILE :
http://www.weforum.org/pdf/tourism/Ukraine.pdf------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
COMPETITIVE INDEX, RANKING OF COUNTRIES
http://www.weforum.org/en/initiatives/gcp/TravelandTourismReport/CompetitivenessIndex/index.htm -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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UKRAINE PRES DECLARES 2008 YEAR OF TOURISM & RESORTS
Ukrainian News Agency, Kyiv, Ukraine, February 22, 2007
KYIV - President Viktor Yuschenko has declared 2008 the Year of Tourism
and Resorts. Ukrainian News learned this from his decree No.136/2007 of
February 21.
The president gave the Cabinet of Ministers time until the end of 2007 to
develop and approve under the established procedure a strategy for stable
development of tourism and resorts in Ukraine.
Additionally, he ordered Cabinet to:
[1] take measures for development of touring business and encourage
tourism among children and youth;
[2] take measures for strengthening the positive image of Ukraine as a
tourist country on international market;
[3] draft a bill amending the law on state awards by way of
establishing the honorary title of Honorable Worker of Tourism
Industry and submit it to the Verkhovna Rada for consideration;
[4] earmark financing in the 2008 national budget and next years'
budgets for implementation of the stable tourism development strategy.
Yuschenko gave corresponding instructions to the Council of Ministers of
Crimea, and state administrations of the regions, the cities of Kyiv and
Sevastopol.
The State Committee for Television and Radio Broadcasting is tasked to
provide broad coverage of the events set out in the presidential decree.
As Ukrainian News earlier reported, Yuschenko declared 2006 the Year of
Protection of Children's Rights. He intended to declare 2007 the Year of
Ukrainian Book.
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