On 21 May, the World Economic Forum released their latest Travel and Tourism Development Index (TTDI). The results make interesting reading for tourism stakeholders in Indonesia, which has moved up 14 places to number 22 in the global rankings – making Indonesia by far the most improved country on the list.
The latest results are an indication of competitiveness on the global stage, while also recognising countries’ success at navigating the new normal era. The 2024 TTDI places Indonesia ahead of neighbours like Malaysia, Vietnam and the Philippines, and even the regional tourism powerhouse of Thailand.
On a scale of 1-7 (1 being the worst and 7 the best), Indonesia’s overall index score of 4.46 ranks second highest in Southeast Asia (behind Singapore) and above other large, emerging global markets such as Brazil and India.
According to the World Economic Forum website, the TTDI “benchmarks and measures the set of factors and policies that enable the sustainable and resilient development of the Travel and Tourism (T&T) sector, which in turn contributes to the development of a country”.
The TTDI was recently revamped to include new concepts that are increasingly pivotal to tourism, particularly in the post-pandemic era. This includes the expanding role of sustainability and resilience in tourism growth, along with broader economic and social development.
The index specifically looks for evidence of stakeholder collaboration and integrated development strategies (at the local, regional and international levels) in order to “mitigate the impact of the pandemic, bolster the recovery and deal with future challenges and risks.”
Indonesia’s rating is the result of collaboration between and contributions from various tourism stakeholders around the world. The TTDI judging framework is built around an advisory group that includes representatives from Bloom Consulting, the International Air Transport Association (IATA), JLL Hotels & Hospitality Group, the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), the University of Surrey, the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) and the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC).
In addition, the World Economic Forum’s approach to the index represents a collaboration with the following data partners: AirDNA, Bloom Consulting, Euromonitor International, GlobalPetrolPrices.com, IATA, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), STR, Tripadvisor, the UNWTO and the WTTC.
With endorsement from these prestigious organizations, Indonesia can take encouragement from the latest TTDI and continue its impressive progress. Since 2019, the archipelago has moved up 14 places – an achievement without parallel, which is indicative of the nation’s growing reputation for world-class tourism and a bellwether of even better times ahead.
