Japan has secured the third spot in the World Economic Forum’s latest travel and tourism development report, released on Tuesday. The country scored highly for its natural and cultural resources as well as its transport infrastructure.
The United States topped the list, followed by Spain in second place. Japan emerged as the highest-ranking country in the Asia-Pacific region.
In the previous report released in 2021 during the coronavirus pandemic, Japan had ranked first. However, the organization employed different criteria for this year’s assessment.
Japan excelled in individual criteria, ranking second for cultural resources, which include archaeological sites and entertainment facilities, and fourth in ground and port infrastructure, thanks to its extensive road and railway networks.
Despite these strengths, Japan scored relatively low in price competitiveness and tourist service infrastructure indicators. It also ranked highly in non-leisure resources, attributed to its numerous major corporations and prestigious universities.
The overall rankings evaluated 119 countries and regions. Following Japan, France came in fourth, and Australia took the fifth spot. Among other Asia-Pacific countries, China ranked eighth, Singapore 13th, and South Korea 14th.
