India’s rank in the Global Travel & Tourism Index rises to 39th place, according to the WEF index.

India has seen a significant rise in its rank on the World Economic Forum’s Travel & Tourism Development Index 2024, climbing to the 39th position. This improvement comes as global tourism activities have started to return to pre-pandemic levels, according to the annual report released on Tuesday.

The United States secured the top spot on the list, while India emerged as the highest-ranked country in South Asia and among the lower-middle-income economies, as per the WEF.

In the previous index published in 2021, India was ranked 54th, but changes made to the index parameters limit its comparability to earlier years.

The index, developed in collaboration with the University of Surrey, highlighted India’s strengths in price competitiveness, air transport infrastructure, and ground and port infrastructure. The country also excelled in natural, cultural, and non-leisure resources, driving travel with its diverse offerings.

Despite facing challenges such as global inflationary supply-side trends impacting price competitiveness and infrastructure, India’s overall TTDI score remains 2.1% below its 2019 level.

The report also noted that high-income economies in Europe and Asia-Pacific continued to lead the index, with Germany securing the 6th position and the UK, China, Italy, and Switzerland following in the top ten.

Overall, the results underscored that high-income economies generally have more favorable conditions for travel and tourism development, supported by conducive business environments, dynamic labor markets, open travel policies, strong infrastructure, and well-developed attractions.