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India Soars to 31st on Global Travel & Tourism Index, Japan Leads
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News18•25-09-2026, 14:00
India Soars to 31st on Global Travel & Tourism Index, Japan Leads
- •India climbed nine places to 31st on the WEF's Travel and Tourism Development Index, driven by cost-competitiveness and rich cultural resources.
- •Japan topped the index, followed by the US, Spain, Australia, and France, with advanced economies dominating the top positions.
- •India, China, and Mexico were among the top 10 for World Heritage cultural sites, highlighting their rich cultural assets.
- •Rapid improvements in tourism infrastructure, cultural assets, and business travel resources contributed to India's significant gains.
- •Key challenges for India include workforce skills, environmental sustainability, and the quality of tourism infrastructure, despite recent improvements.
Key Questions Answered
India has moved up nine places to rank 31st on the World Economic Forum's Travel and Tourism Development Index.
Japan secured the top position on the index, followed by the United States, Spain, Australia, and France in the top five places.
India's rise was driven by a highly cost-competitive travel environment, rich cultural resources, abundant natural assets, well-distributed tourism demand, and rapid improvements in tourism infrastructure.
