India’s global travel and tourism index rank has improved significantly, moving up to the 39th position according to the World Economic Forum’s Travel & Tourism Development Index 2024. This achievement reflects the country’s growing appeal as a tourist destination, driven by its rich natural and cultural resources, strong price competitiveness, and improved business environment.
India’s Travel and Tourism industry has shown spectacular growth in recent years, and the latest ranks, as per the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), show it well. India’s Travel and Tourism competitiveness ranking of the World Tourism and Travel Council has also shown an upward trend and now stands at 39th in 2024, as indicated in the new WTTC 2024 index.
This upward trend can be attributed to the country’s continuous focus on developing its tourism facilities and destinations, improving cultural attributes, and supporting sustainable tourism. It measures the performance of countries, the business environment, human resources, infrastructure, and natural resources for travel and tourism using the index produced by WTTC.
An improved ranking, putting India as the seventh most visited country, shows an enhanced interest of the people in visiting the country. Based on its diverse cultural practices, various natural and geographical features, and beautiful cities, many people still find the country attractive for them to visit. The efforts to enhance tourism by the government via various travel programs, including “Incredible India”, have also aided the increase. In its recent report, the WTTC derives interesting evidence of the profound contribution of tourism to the Indian economy.
The sector makes approximately 9 per cent of the country’s gross basket, which leaves much to be desired in the country’s growth process. 2% to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), fostering and supporting more than 42. 673 million jobs. This has also been advantageous since there is an improvement in the amounts of foreign exchange earned from tourism, thus improving the balance of payment in the country.
Another thing that the report points out is the need to improve the ecological sensitivity of tourism in the Indian region. The changes we are witnessing indicate that the country has been moving toward ensuring environmentally friendly and sustainable tourism, which can benefit local people as it maintains natural resources.
The enhancement in rank is likely to open further potential for the tourism industry in India, increase international visitors, and add more revenue for the country. It is expected that the government will persist with efforts to further expand the sector, specifically in infrastructure, tourism, culture, and the implementation of sustainable tourism.
