Azerbaijan ranks up in new tourism index

According to report, Azerbaijan is the third to Russia and Georgia in the CIS area for the tourism and travel business while neighboring Armenia only managed to seat at the 91st place.

The report said Azerbaijan earned at least $509 million from tourism and travel business in 2008 with the number of people employed in the tourism sector reaching 39 000.

The rankings are based on the Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Index (TTCI), which measures the different regulatory and business-related issues that have been identified as levers for improving travel and tourism competitiveness in countries around the world.

This year’s report, published under the theme “Managing in a Time of Turbulence”, reflects the difficulties the industry currently faces, which must be overcome to ensure strong sectorial growth in the future.

The Geneva-based WEF said Switzerland (score 5.68) retained its position as the world’s best place for the tourism and travel business.

Austria, Germany, France and Canada followed, but current economic troubles had not yet made their way into the rankings.

Infrastructure and environmental sustainability are among the WEF’s 14 major factors when measuring competitiveness in the tourism sector.

The report also explored the impact of oil prices on the tourism industry and the importance of price competitiveness.

/APA/