Kazakhstan improves position in WEF tourism rating

BAKU. KAZINFORM Kazakhstan has improved its position in tourism rating of the World Economic Forum (WEF).    

In its Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report 2017, WEF elevated Kazakhstan's ranking by four spots compared to 2015 to 81 among 136 countries.

According to the 2017 rating, the top 10 countries with the best travel and tourism competitiveness index are Spain, France, Germany, Japan, UK, the US, Australia, Italy, Canada and Switzerland.

WEF's Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index is composed of 14 pillars.

In business environment pillar Kazakhstan ranks 36th, in safety and security - 58th, in health and hygiene - 6th, in human resources and labor market - 47th, in ICT readiness - 52nd, in prioritization of travel and tourism - 93rd, in international openness - 113th, in price competitiveness - 8th, in environment sustainability - 99th, in air transport infrastructure - 71st, in ground and port infrastructure - 91st, in tourist service infrastructure - 97th, in natural resources - 92nd, and in cultural resources and business travel - 75th.

According to the report, travel and tourism industry GDP in Kazakhstan is $3.08 billion or 1.6 percent of total GDP. The industry employment rate is 1.7 percent, Kazinform refers to Trend .