New Delhi, Sep 5 (IANS): India has been ranked 34th amongst 140 countries as the best destination for travel and tourism, as per a World Economic Forum (WEF) report.
India was at the 40th position in the 2017 report but climbed six places this year owing to better price competitiveness, natural resources, cultural resources and business travel as compared to other nations.
Union Culture and Tourism Minister Prahlad Singh Patel, in a tweet on Wednesday, attributed India's climb in the tourism index ladder to the able leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
"India ranked at the 65th position in WEF survey in 2013, 52nd in 2015, 40th in 2017 and now 34th in 2019. These milestones indicate that the leadership of our Prime Minister Narendra Modi is able. This success is dedicated to him," he wrote.
India amassed an overall score of 4.4 in the WEF survey in 2019 measured across as many as 14 parameters. In 2017, India's overall score was 4.2.
As per the survey report, India recorded over 15.5 international tourist arrivals in 2019. The travel and tourism industry accounted for 3.6 per cent of India's GDP generating over 26.7 lakh jobs.
The report has placed India at the 13th position in terms of price competitiveness, eighth position in terms of cultural resources and business travel and at the 14th position in terms of natural resources.
Spain ranked at the top spot in the latest survey report followed by France, Germany and Japan.