The Swiss-based World Economic Forum has released its 2019 Travel & Tourism Competitive Report and named Spain the best country in the world to visit. As reported by CNN, some of the factors considered in their judgment were natural and cultural resources, infrastructure, national travel and tourism policy, and the local environment, which ranges from safety and hygiene to the labor market.
Spain earned the top spot by placing a high priority on its local travel and tourism industry. Since the last biennial report was released, the country attracted over 80 million tourists and created almost 1 million jobs in their booming travel and tourism industry. With multiple international airports that have the infrastructure to support a high volume of travelers, it’s no wonder Spain nabbed the number 1 spot for the third time in a row. From a tourist’s perspective, the country also boasts 3,000 miles of coastline, 48 UNESCO World Heritage sites, and world-class museums to explore.
The top ten countries on the list didn’t change much from the 2017 report. France continues to trail behind Spain for the third year running and Germany comes in third place, ranking above Italy, Japan, and the United States. The only change is the United Kingdom’s descent from fifth to sixth place. Although the United States made the top five, the “human resources and labor market” was the only category they earned top points and they were ranked a dismal 100th place for the pillar of environmental sustainability.
The top 10 countries to visit in 2019, according to the World Economic Forum
1: Spain
2: France
3: Germany
4: Japan
5: United States
6: United Kingdom
7: Australia
8: Italy
9: Canada
10: Switzerland
The bottom 10 countries to visit
1: Yemen
2: Chad
3: Liberia
4: Burundi
5: Democratic Republic of Congo
6: Mauritania
7: Angola
8: Haiti
9: Burkina Faso
10: Sierra Leone