Canada overtook the US to move from ninth to fifth place

Canada overtook the US to move from ninth to fifth place in The Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report 2009 released this month by the World Economic Forum. Canada’s high ranking is the result of “excellent” natural and cultural resources, the world’s top-ranked air infrastructure system and the business community’s consensus that the Canadian government is making a concerted effort to promote tourism overseas, according to the report.

“The report reflects the positive impact of the government’s increased support for tourism,” says Greg Klassen, Canadian Tourism Commission (CTC) vice president of Marketing. “It’s also significant for the investment community that Canada is recognized as a great place to develop tourism infrastructure.”

Switzerland, Austria and Germany topped the list again, while France jumped from 10th place to fourth in the new ranking. The United States dropped from seventh to eighth.

The World Economic Forum interviewed 13,000 executives around the world, including 79 Canadians. The organization weighed a variety of factors making countries attractive for tourism developers, including transport and tourism infrastructure, regulations, access to labour, safety and security, government tourism policy and natural and cultural resources.

Canada was particularly recognized for its resources—both natural and cultural. Canada has a reputation of offering access to spectacular natural beauty and also has nine natural sites recognized by the United Nations as World Heritage Sites.

Source: CTC news staff (18/03/09) & the Travel Alberta web editors