The travel and tourism sector is improving on a global scale and, thanks to the explosion of “compressed” demand during the pandemic, both arrivals and contribution to global GDP will return to pre-pandemic levels this year. However, many air and tourism infrastructures, along with services, remain below pre-Covid levels. A picture in which Italy improves and is in the top ten destinations.

This is what emerges from the Travel & Tourism Development Index 2024 ranking published by the World Economic Forum (Wef), a global index that “measures the set of factors and policies aimed at the sustainable and resilient development of the travel and tourism sector, which in turn contributes to a country's development.”

In the top 10 country rankings are, in order: the United States, Spain, Japan, France, Australia, Germany, Britain, China, Italy, and Switzerland. Italy is thus ninth and gains three positions from the previous report.

Italy has the highest score in the world (6.74) on cultural resources, and does well (above 5) on health services and sanitation, environmental sustainability and airport infrastructure and security. In contrast, our country does not shine when it comes to price competitiveness (3.15), the negative lead of which goes to Iceland and Switzerland, and the socio-economic impact of travel and tourism, i.e., the sector's contribution to the economy, wages and gender pay equity.