Switzerland tops tourism competitiveness table-WEF

GENEVA, March 2 (Reuters) European neighbours Switzerland, Austria and Germany top a list of countries offering the best environments for developing travel and tourism, followed by Iceland and the United States, an international study said.

Hong Kong and Singapore rank highest in Asia, and sixth and eighth respectively overall, according to the World Economic Forum's competitiveness report which evaluated 124 countries.

France -- the world's most popular tourist destination -- ranked only 12th, dragged down partly due to the general attitude of the French towards visitors, the Forum yesterday said in its ''Travel&Tourism Competitiveness Report 2007''.

Italy, host to the highest number of World Heritage sites in the world, ranked a ''mediocre'' 33, mainly due to weaknesses that included policy rules and regulations, it said.

Countries were evaluated for natural and cultural resources, safety and security, environmental laws, health and hygiene, air transport infrastructure, labour practices and the priority which the government gives the sector. Data as well as results from the WEF's executive opinion survey were used.

Travel and tourism, which employs some 234 million people, is an important driver of growth, accounting for 10.3 per cent of world gross domestic product last year, according to the report.

Switzerland, home to some of the world's most prestigious hotel management schools, offers excellent transport and tourism infrastructure as well as rich natural resources, it said.

Britain ranked 10th, while Australia and New Zealand ranked 13th and 14th, respectively. Spain, which is the world's second-largest tourist destination, was 15th.

In West Asia, the United Arab Emirates ranked highest at 18, thanks to a positive attitude toward foreign travellers and price competitiveness, it said.

Barbados, at 29th, was the highest ranked country in the Latin American and Caribbean region, while Brazil came 59th, as safety and security ''continue to be of serious concern''.

The most competitive country for tourism in sub-Saharan Africa is Mauritius (39th), followed by South Africa (62nd), which was also brought down by safety concerns, it said.

REUTERS SHB RK0959