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  Straits Times 3 Mar 07
S'pore ranks among WEF's Top 10 travel destinations
It takes 8th place out of 124 territories, two spots behind HK in 6th place
By Straits Times Europe Bureau, Neo Hui Min

BERNE (SWITZERLAND) - SINGAPORE ranks among the top 10 travel destinations in a new World Economic Forum (WEF) report, but is still seen as lacking in areas such as natural and cultural attractions.

The WEF Travel And Tourism Competitiveness Report put Singapore at No. 8 in a list of 124 territories, two places behind Hong Kong, which was sixth. In first place was Switzerland, followed by Austria and Germany. Iceland was fourth and the United States fifth. Canada was seventh, Luxembourg ninth and Britain 10th.

The WEF is best known for its annual meeting in the Swiss resort of Davos, where world leaders gather to discuss key economic and social issues. The report, released on Thursday, is its first-ever ranking of countries in developing the travel and tourism industry.

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

Singapore came tops in the regulatory framework ranking, and also took the top spot in several other sub-categories. The Republic also ranked high in such health areas as its efforts to reduce the risks from pandemics and provide access to sanitation and drinking water. Transport infrastructure, price competitiveness and human resources were other categories in which Singapore scored well.

However, it scored lower in the list of natural, human and cultural resources - coming in at No. 42 while Hong Kong was 14th.

Ms Jennifer Blanke, a WEF senior economist working on the report, pointed out: 'Our study is not a 'beauty contest', or a statement about the attractiveness of a country. 'On the contrary, we aim to measure the factors that make it attractive to develop the travel and tourism industry of individual countries.'

The high rankings of Hong Kong and Singapore 'demonstrate the importance of supportive business and regulatory frameworks, coupled with world-class transport and tourism infrastructure and a focus on nurturing human and natural resources, for fostering an environment that is attractive for developing the travel and tourism sector', she said.

Another factor that lowered Singapore's score was a low recommendation to extend business trips - Singapore ranked 100th compared to Hong Kong's 67th.

Low scores in nationally protected areas also weighed down Singapore's ranking.

Notably, the most visited country in the world - France - came in only 12th. Its biggest strength was its large number of cultural and natural sights. But this was offset by what was seen as the attitude of the French toward visitors, an area where it ranked only 122th in the survey.

The index was compiled from publicly available sources, international travel and tourism institutions and experts, and feedback from key companies in the industry.

The WEF said it came up with this new index as tourism and travel have 'become a key sector in the world economy and are a critical source of economic growth and development in many countries'.

International tourism receipts were worth some US$622.7 billion (S$950 billion) in 2004, and accounted for 10.3 per cent of the world's GDP in 2006. The industry also provided 234 million jobs last year, making up 8.2 per cent of total employment worldwide.
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Related articles on Singapore: general environmental issues and Putting a price on nature in Singapore
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