Francisco Betti
Head, Global Industries Team; Member of the Executive Committee,
World Economic Forum

Iis Tussyadiah
Professor and Head of School of Hospitality and Tourism Management, University of Surrey

Driven by the end of pandemic-related restrictions and robust pent-up demand, global international tourist arrivals are expected to reach pre-pandemic levels in 2024, highlighting the resiliency of the Travel and Tourism (T&T) sector and people’s strong desire to travel. However, the recovery has not been without its challenges. Uneven regional and market-segment recoveries, labour shortages and supply and demand imbalances have all characterized the past few years of T&T development. Meanwhile, external macroeconomic, geopolitical and environmental factors such as high rates of global inflation and interest rates, conflicts in Europe and the Middle East and wildfires in destinations such as Greece have generated additional pressure on the sector. In the coming years, the impact of climate change, geopolitical tensions, macroeconomic uncertainty and the application of new digital technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) represent just some of the challenges facing T&T and the broader global community. Within this context, it has become critical for T&T decision-makers and stakeholders not just to focus on improving sector readiness for future risks and opportunities, but also to ensure that the sector accounts for its economic, social and environmental impact and is a driver of global prosperity.

With this in mind, we have published the 2024 edition of the Travel & Tourism Development Index (TTDI). The index measures the set of factors and policies that enable the sustainable and resilient development of the T&T sector, which in turn contributes to the development of a country. The objective of the TTDI is to serve as a crucial benchmarking tool for stakeholders to gauge the progress of the T&T sector, informing policy and investment decisions. It offers insights into T&T economies’ strengths and areas for improvement, and the interconnected nature of T&T development, as well as facilitating strategic planning and multistakeholder dialogue to encourage sustainable and resilient growth at various levels.

The latest edition of the index provides an overview of the current state of the T&T sector and the various interconnected challenges and opportunities it faces as it moves past the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, the publication’s special focus section uses index results and other research to provide a high-level overview of the likely future global risks and challenges landscape and looks at how the sector could help to address elements such as economic inequality, environmental threats linked to climate change and pollution, technological innovation and global connectivity. We emphasize that to achieve this potential, public- and private-sector leaders and other key stakeholders need to proactively shape T&T to become more resilient, inclusive and sustainable.

Following the World Economic Forum’s multistakeholder approach, this report is based on a thought leadership and research collaboration between the Forum and the University of Surrey. Through this new knowledge partnership, we have been able to make several upgrades to the TTDI, including the addition of new index components and data that allow for better coverage of the T&T sector’s environmental and socioeconomic impact, while making it more T&T-specific, concise and consistent in economy coverage. This work could not have been done without the valuable input of a network of distinguished thinkers and practitioners who provided their knowledge and insights. We are grateful to our advisory group, which comprises representatives from Bloom Consulting, the European Travel Commission (ETC), the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC), the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, the International Air Transport Association (IATA), JLL Hotels & Hospitality Group, Mastercard, New York University, the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), Trip.com Group, the University of Surrey, Visa, the World Bank, the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UN Tourism) and the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), and to our data partners AirDNA, Bloom Consulting, CoStar, Euromonitor International, GlobalPetrolPrices.com, IATA, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), MMGY TCI Research, Tripadvisor, UN Tourism and the WTTC.