Vietnam climbs 7 places in global tourism development ranking

The World Economic Forum (WEF) released its latest index on September 25, showing Vietnam scored 4.15 points, up 6.1 percent from 2024.

The index assesses the factors and policies that enable sustainable and resilient travel and tourism development rather than tourism performance itself, such as visitor arrivals, spending or revenue.

In Southeast Asia, Vietnam ranked behind Singapore, which placed 13th globally, Indonesia at 23rd, Malaysia at 26th and Thailand at 38th.

However, in terms of improvement, Vietnam’s score rose 6.1 percent, outpacing Indonesia at 2.2 percent, Malaysia and Thailand at 5.8 percent each, and Singapore at 3.3 percent.

Vietnam had seven indicators among the world’s leading performers, including price competitiveness, where it ranked seventh, and safety and security, where it placed ninth.

Other strengths included cultural resources, natural resources, sustainability of travel and tourism demand, non-leisure resources, and air transport infrastructure.

Despite the gains, several areas remained relatively weak.

Vietnam had four indicators in the world’s lower-middle or lowest-ranking groups: tourism infrastructure and services, environmental sustainability, prioritization of travel and tourism, and the socioeconomic impact of the sector.

The results indicate that Vietnam has made progress in strengthening the underlying conditions for tourism development, while highlighting areas requiring further improvement as the country seeks more sustainable, high-quality and effective growth in the sector.