Several Latin American countries rank among the world's most competitive in the tourism sector. Let's see which ones they are!
The Americas is the second-fastest-growing region in the world in terms of tourism competitiveness, according to the latest report by the World Economic Forum, “The Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report”.
This increase accurately reflects the trend in tourist traffic, with tourists choosing destinations such as Mexico o Brazil in the World's Top 30.
The natural and cultural wealth Latin American countries have been successfully promoted to the world in recent years, and this has become their main tourist attraction. Thus, in addition to the countries already mentioned, there are Panama, Costa Rica, Chile, Argentina y Peru, all of which have been installed among the 50 most competitive destinations in the world.
Another noteworthy fact is that Mexico: This is the country in the ranking that shows the greatest change compared to the previous report, from 2015. A rise of 8 positions reflects the commitment to the country by more than 35 million visitors at the end of last year.
Equally significant is the rise seen in Colombia, among whom the following stand out for their willingness and openness to the international community to welcome tourists, which has caused it to climb six spots.
Brazil, for its part, has the the world's largest and most diverse natural environment, making it one of the top tourist destinations. This fact, combined with the Rio Olympic Games, made 2016 a historic year, during which the city welcomed more than 6.6 million tourists.
Latin America must continue to implement policies that promote the development and growth of the tourism sector. To this end, it must improve its security conditions, create new business environments, and strengthen its infrastructure with the goal of increasing its international connectivity. How do you do it?
THE CASE OF SPAIN
For the second consecutive time, Spain tops the aforementioned competitiveness ranking, thanks mainly to its cultural richness, tourist attractions, and its level of infrastructure. Regarding the latter, just a few days ago we published a post analyzing the relationship between the quality of Spain's infrastructure and its success in tourism. It's a highly recommended read if you haven't checked it out yet!
In 2016, the Spanish tourism industry welcomed 75.3 million visitors, representing an increase of 9.9 points over the previous figure. This upward trend is expected to continue throughout this school year, as forecasts indicate that 83 million people are expected to visit.
As a result, the Spanish treasury collected the by no means insignificant sum of 77,000 million euros last year.
The technical expertise demonstrated by Spanish companies and professionals in the infrastructure sector is well known to Latin American countries. According to the aforementioned report, the the quality demonstrated by its transportation networks This is one of the main reasons why it tops the rankings.
It is worth noting that, in 2017, this Mediterranean country expects infrastructure investment to exceed 10.8 billion euros, focused largely on improving its land transportation networks (rail and roads), its port operations, and the expansion of its airport network.
Thus, effective management of the transportation system is essential for optimally accommodating large numbers of tourists, thereby fostering significant development in the country. In light of the above, this may be, one of the economic drivers of all of Latin America in the future.
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