Taiwan was ranked 32nd in the Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Index rankings released by the World Economic Forum on Wednesday.
The Travel and Tourism Competitiveness report ranked 141 countries and regions worldwide, based on 14 factors, including business environment, safety and security, health and hygiene, human resources and labor market, prioritization of travel and tourism, information communications technology readiness and international openness.
Other factors considered were price competitiveness, environmental sustainability, air transportation infrastructure, ground and port infrastructure, tourist service infrastructure, natural resources, and cultural and business travel.
Taiwan scored 4.35 on a 1 to 7 point scale to come 32nd on the list of most friendly travel destinations in the world, the report said.
In terms of individual categories, Taiwan ranked higher in areas such as business environment (21st), security and safety (24th), cultural resources and business travel (23rd), and human resources and labor market (25th).
The report said Taiwan failed to become one of the top destinations for foreign travelers, but stands a chance of climbing in the global rankings if it improves its travel infrastructure.
Spain topped the list, scoring high in terms of cultural resources, infrastructure and adaptation to digital consumption habits. France was second, followed by Germany, the US, Britain, Switzerland, Australia, Italy, Japan and Canada, in that order.
In Asia, the top-ranked nations were Japan (9th), Singapore (11th), Hong Kong (13th), China (17th), Malaysia (25th) and South Korea (29th).
The travel and tourism industry accounts for 10 percent of global GDP, and the industry has been growing at an average annual rate of 3.4 percent, the report said.
It said the average growth rate is likely to rise to 5.2 percent over the next five years.
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