Turismo

The Philippines is living up to its tourism slogan “It’s More Fun in the Philippines,” as the country jumped 12 places in the 2013 Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report issued by the World Economic Forum (WEF) .

The Makati Business Club released the WEF report, noting that the Philippines’ ranking improved to 82 out of 140 countries, from its 94th ranking in the 2011 report.

The Philippines was named one of the “rising stars” in the WEF report, as it was the “most improved country” in the Asia Pacific region.

“The Philippines is the most improved country in the region, ranking 16th regionally and 82nd overall, up 12 places since the last edition. Among the country’s comparative strengths are its natural resources (44th), its price competitiveness (24th), and a very strong—and improving—prioritization of the Travel & Tourism industry (this indicator ranks 15th, as government spending on the sector as a percentage of GDP is now 1st in the world, and tourism marketing and branding campaigns are seen to be increasingly effective),” the WEF report stated.

The Philippines was also cited for changes in its policy rules and regulation that will help develop the travel and tourism industry.

“Among these are better protection of property rights, more openness toward foreign investments, and few visa requirements for foreign visitors (ranked 7th),” it said.

The Philippines also showed it is competitive in terms of price (ranked 24th) and in natural resources (ranked 44th).