The World Economic Forum has launched the first-ever Travel and Tourism Index covering 124 countries around the world.

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.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4461513591132820265&pr=goog-sl&hl=en (official video)

http://www.weforum.org/en/initiatives/gcp/TravelandTourismReport/index.htm (all 3 parts of the report available for free download)