For the first time this year Haiti was included in the Travel & Tourism (T&T) Competitiveness Report produced by the World Economic Forum.
According to this study, Haiti occupies the last position out of 140 countries studied as part of the competitiveness of their Travel and Tourism industry. However, Haiti ranks #1 in terms of visa requirements policies, measured by the number of countries whose citizens are exempt from obtaining a visa, or can easily obtain it. Haiti is also the sixth least restrictive destination.
Switzerland, Germany, and Austria are the world's most competitive T&T countries according to this report.
The regional leaders are Barbados, 27th position, and Jamaica occupying 67th position. Dominican republic was placed on the 86th position.
The study took into account 14 major indicators:
1. Policy rules and regulations (Haiti's rank: 135)
Factors considered:
Prevalence of foreign ownership
Property rights
Business impact of rules on FDI
Visa requirements, number of countriesOpenness bilateral ASAs (0–38)
Transparency of government policymaking
Number of days to start a business
Cost to start a business, % GNI/capita
GATS commitment restrictiveness
2. Environmental sustainability (Haiti's rank: 139)
Factors considered:
Stringency of environmental regulation
Enforcement of environmental regulation
Sustainability of T&T industry development
Carbon dioxide emission, million tons/capita
Particulate matter concentration, μg/m³
Threatened species, %
Environmental treaty ratification
3. Safety and Security (Haiti's rank: 130)
Factors considered:
Business costs of crime and violence
Reliability of police services
Road traffic accidents/100,000 population
Business costs of terrorism
4. Health and hygiene (Haiti's rank: 128)
Factors considered:
Physician density/1,000 population
Access to improved sanitation, % population
Access to improved drinking water, % population
Hospital beds/10,000 population*
5. Prioritization of Travel and Tourism (Haiti's rank: 124)
Factors considered:
Government prioritization of the T&T industry
T&T gov’t expenditure, % gov’t budget
Effectiveness of marketing to attract tourists
Comprehensiveness of T&T data
Timeliness of T&T data
6. Air Transport Infrastructure (Haiti's rank: 131)
Factors considered:
Quality of air transport infrastructure
Departures/1,000 population
Airport density/million population
Number of operating airlines
International air transport network
7. Ground Transport Infrastructure (Haiti's rank: 140)
Factors considered:
Quality of roads
Quality of railroad infrastructure
Quality of port infrastructure
Quality of ground transport network
Road density/million population
8. Tourism Infrastructure (Haiti's rank: 110)
Factors considered:
Hotel rooms/100 population
Presence of major car rental companies
ATMs accepting Visa cards/million population
9. ICT Infrastructure (Haiti's rank: 131)
Factors considered:
ICT use for B-to-B transactions
ICT use for B-to-C transactions
Individuals using the Internet, %
Fixed telephone lines/100 population
Broadband Internet subscribers/100 population
Mobile telephone subscribers/100 population
Mobile broadband subscribers/100 population
10. Price competitiveness in T&T industry (Haiti's rank: 78)
Factors considered:
Ticket taxes and airport charges
Purchasing power parity
Fuel price
Extent and effect of taxation
Hotel price index
11. Human Resources (Haiti's rank: 136)
Factors considered:
Education and training
Availability of qualified labor
12. Affinity for Travel and Tourism (Haiti's rank: 135)
Factors considered:
Tourism Openness
Attitude of population toward foreign visitors
Extension of business trips recommended
Degree of customer orientation
13. Natural Resources (Haiti's rank: 140)
Factors considered:
Number of World Heritage natural sites
Quality of the natural environment
Total known species
Terrestrial biome protection
Marine protected areas
14. Cultural resources (Haiti's rank: 134)
Factors considered:
Number of World Heritage cultural sites
Sports stadiums, seats/million population
Number of international fairs and exhibitions
Under the theme, “Reducing Barriers to Economic Growth and Job Creation”, the Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report 2013 assesses 140 economies worldwide based on the extent to which they are putting in place the factors and policies to make it attractive to develop the travel and tourism sector.
The 2013 Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Index (TTCI) reveals that Switzerland, Germany, and Austria lead the world in terms of travel and tourism competitiveness, with Spain, the United Kingdom, the United States, France, Canada, Sweden, and Singapore completing the top 10.
The World Economic Forum produced the report in close collaboration with its Strategic Design Partner, Booz & Company, and its Data Partners, which include Deloitte, the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), and the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC). The Forum also received important feedback from Industry Partners in the effort, namely Airbus/EADS, BAE Systems, Bahrain Economic Development Board, Bombardier, Delta, Deutsche Lufthansa/Swiss, Embraer, Etihad Airways, Jet Airways, Hilton, Lockheed Martin, Marriott, Safran, Starwood Hotels & Resorts, and VISA.
The report was made public on March 7, 2013, in Geneva, Switzerland.
