Travel and Tourism Development Index 2024: Bangladesh ranks last in Asia-Pacific
Bangladesh scored 3.19 out of 7 which was also the lowest among the five South Asian countries assessed in the index
Bangladesh has ranked 109th out of 119 economies in the Travel and Tourism Development Index 2024, coming in last among the 19 Asia-Pacific countries assessed in a World Economic Forum travel and tourism study released today (21 May).
The biennial index, published in collaboration with the University of Surrey, measured the set of factors and policies that enable the sustainable and resilient development of the travel and tourism sector, which in turn contributes to the development of a country.
Bangladesh scored 3.19 out of 7 which was also the lowest among the five South Asian countries assessed in the index.
India led from South Asia, ranking 39th with a score of 4.25, followed by Sri Lanka at 76, with 3.69, Pakistan at 101 with 3.41 and Nepal at 105 with 3.34.
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The index consisted of five dimensions, 17 pillars and 102 individual indicators, distributed among the different pillars. The dimensions were: Enabling Environment, Travel and Tourism (T&T) Policy and Enabling Conditions, Infrastructure and Services, T&T Resources and T&T Sustainability.
Scores on each indicator were first normalised and rated on a common scale of 1 to 7, with 1 being the worst and 7 being the best outcome.
Among the dimensions, Bangladesh performed the best at the Travel and Tourism Resources which captured the principal "reasons to travel" to a destination and consisted of three pillars including natural, cultural, and non-leisure resources.
Meanwhile, the country's worst performance was also the worst among all countries in the Travel & Tourism Sustainability dimension, which captured the current or potential sustainability challenges and risks facing travel and tourism. It also consisted of three pillars: environmental sustainability, T&T socioeconomic impact, and T&T demand sustainability.
Bangladesh's global rankings and scores on the five dimensions were 99th on Enabling Environment with a score of 3.93, 110th on Travel and Tourism Policy and Enabling Conditions with 3.53, 80th on Infrastructure and Services with 2.80 , 68th on T&T Resources with 1.95 and 119th on T&T Sustainability with 3.24.
Among the 17 pillars, Bangladesh stood out positively in price competitiveness, ground and port infrastructure, and safety and security. While the country did the worst in openness to travel and tourism, demand sustainability, environmental sustainability and human resources and labour market pillars.
High-income economies in Europe and Asia-Pacific continue to lead the index, with the United States, Spain and Japan topping the rankings again this year.
International tourist arrivals and the travel and tourism sector's contribution to global GDP are expected to return to pre-pandemic levels this year, driven by the lifting of Covid-19-related travel restrictions and strong pent-up demand.
