TEHRAN - Iran ranked 93rd out of 136 countries in the 2017 Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index, jumping four positions in the biennial report released by the World Economic Forum.

Published on April 5, the report reveals that Iran has preserved its topmost global rank in the “price competitiveness” category, which shows how costly it is to travel or invest in a country.

The overall score given to the country points as 3.4 out of 7, up 0.1 from a previous edition released in 2015. Iran stands 8th in a Middle East ranking as well. 

“Starting from different levels, Bahrain, Iran, Morocco and Algeria have all improved their security significantly, while Saudi Arabia has registered the largest regional improvement in health and hygiene,” the report says.

Moreover, Iran comes 38th in the “cultural resources and business travel” category, 89th in “air transport infrastructure”, and 116th in “tourist service infrastructure”.

To carry out such an in-depth analysis punctuated with very figures, WEF engaged global travel and tourism leaders of 136 economies across the world.

A diagram compiled by the World Economic Forum shows Iran rankings in various categories relevant to the tourism industry in 2017.

Iran also ranks 119th in the “environmental sustainability” category. The country fared poorly in the “tourist service infrastructure” and “prioritization of travel and tourism” categories, becoming 116th and 117th respectively.

In the global ranking, Spain, France and Germany occupied the top three positions, making them the most tourism-friendly economies.

Traditionally strong travel and tourism destinations, including Japan (4th), the United Kingdom (5th), the United States (6th), Australia (7th), Italy (8th), Canada (9th) and Switzerland (10th), have also made it to the top 10.

The theme of this seventh edition of the Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report 2017: Paving the Way for a More Sustainable & Inclusive Future, reflects the increasing focus on ensuring the industry’s sustained growth in an uncertain security environment while preserving the natural environment and local communities on which it so richly depends.

With countless natural beauties, deeply-rooted-in-time history and culture, as well as abundance of tourist sites, 21 of which have been inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list, Iran seeks to acquire greater share of the global tourism industry.

AFM/MG