Hanoi (VNA)ꦆ – Vietnam ranked 59th among 119 countries and territories in the Travel & Tourism Development Index (TTDI) in 2024, falling from the 52nd position in the previous year.

TTDI, published by the World Economic Forum (WEF), aggregates factors and policies, under five main listings, 17 sub directories and 102 individual indicators, to create the list for the global Travel & Tourism (T&T) sector. Vietnam's overall TTDI rating was 3.96 (on a scale of 7.0) in 2024, placing it 59th among the 119 countries and territories, a decline from 2022 when it was in the 52nd place with a score of 4.10. Its lowest-scoring standard was in Tourism Services and Infrastructure at 2.20, ranking it in 80th place globally, but in terms of how Vietnam prioritises Travel & Tourism, it only scored 3.63 (98th place).

Its worst-performing pillar was T&T Socioeconomic Impact at 2.95, placing 115th. The pillar measures the economic and social impact of T&T, including induced economic contribution, the provision of high-wage jobs and workforce gender equality. Meanwhile, the country did quite well in Price Competitiveness with a score of 5.68 (16th), Safety and Security with 6.19 (23rd), Natural Resources (26th), and Cultural Resources (28th). Seven pillar indexes of Vietnamese tourism are in the world’s average-high group (ranked 36th-70th) including: Non-Leisure Resources (38th); Aviation Infrastructure (43rd); Human Resources and Labour Market (49th); Sustainability of Tourism Demand (54th); Ground and Port Infrastructure (54th); Readiness in Information and Communications Technology – ICT (57th); Business Environment (65th). Thus, 11 out of 17 pillar indexes of Vietnam are in the world’s high- average or leading groups. Six of Vietnam's indexes fall into the world’s low and low-average groups (ranked 71th-119th), including Infrastructure and tourism services (80th); Level of tourism openness (80th); Healthcare and hygiene (81st); and Environmental sustainability (93rd). Vietnam sees ranking improvements this year in five indicators, namely competitiveness in prices (+ 4 grades places), readiness in ICT (+3), tourism infrastructure and services (+4), openness of tourism (+2); and healthcare and hygiene conditions (+1). Some key indicators fell sharply, including aviation infrastructure (- 17 grades) and sustainability in tourism demand (- 24). Meanwhile, it ranks low in two new indicators, namely the openness of tourism (80th) and tourism’s impact on socio-economic development (115th).

According to the Vietnam National Authority of Tourism (VNAT), with the new assessment method, many countries in the region have also seen their grades decrease. Thailand, for example, has fallen by 12 grades, Singapore 4 grades, Malaysia 2 and Cambodia 1. Only the Philippines has increased by one grade, while Indonesia and Laos are in the same positions. Vietnam ranks fifth in TTDI in the region, after Singapore (13th), Indonesia (22nd), Malaysia (35th) and Thailand (47th). To improve TTDI, according to VNAT, agencies need to provide updated statistics about Vietnam’s tourism, so that the WEF can assess the impact of tourism on Vietnam’s socioeconomic development, as well as visa policy. Vietnam needs to take full advantage of its strengths, such as competitiveness in prices, natural and cultural resources, and high security, to develop the tourism industry. At the same time, it needs to strengthen the conservation and promotion of cultural heritage and natural landscapes in localities. The country needs to improve its ranking in the categories of grade decreases in 2024, including aviation infrastructure (down 17 grades). The aviation industry needs to continue to improve its passenger transportation capability, improve service quality, increase transport output, expand flight routes and reduce airfares. To improve the sustainability of tourism demand, which fell 24 grades in the 2024 report, the tourism sector needs to develop more tours and design attractive products to increase the time of stay in Vietnam. Once travel firms can diversify products and satisfy tourist demand year round, Vietnam will no longer depend on seasons. Travel firms also need to develop new destinations and secondary points to ease the overload at some key places. According to VNAT officials, for limitations that have pended for years such as healthcare, hygiene, environmental sustainability, localities need to take stronger and drastic measures. Improving human resources training and boosting digital transformation in tourism are also needed for Vietnam./.