Japan has taken first place in the world ranking of tourist destinations of the World Economic Forum in 2021, despite the closed borders due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“Demand in the tourism sector has been one of the hardest hit by the COVID 19 pandemic, leaving not only businesses but also the tourism-focused national economy hard hit by travel restrictions and international travel suspensions. Fortunately, there are now positive trends – The recovery of the tourism industry has begun, although not at the same pace around the world or in the same market segments. New factors, such as the war in Ukraine, are also complicating this uneven recovery.
According to the organization’s report, the list includes 117 tourist destinations. Japan topped the rankings for the first time, overtaking the US. Spain and France came in third and fourth respectively. The top 10 includes Germany, Switzerland, Australia, the UK, Singapore and Italy.
According to analysts, Japan ranked fourth in the biennial report on air transport infrastructure and cultural resources, sixth in land and port infrastructure, and 12th in natural resources. In terms of resilience to environmental change, the country took only 107th place.
The Travel and Tourism Development Index (TTDI) is based on 18 criteria, including travel and tourism development, business environment, safety, health and hygiene, human resource utilization and labor market, international openness, pricing policy and competitiveness, air transport infrastructure , socio-economic sustainability and others.