Saudi Arabia ranked among global tourism destinations for the first time

Riyadh: Saudi Arabia has been ranked in the worldwide tourism index for the first time, taking the 82nd spot among 130 countries.

The kingdom has been ranked ninth among Arab countries in the World Economic Forum's (WEF) report titled 'Balancing economic development and environmental sustainability'.

Oman was the other new entrant in the survey, which reported a fall in the tourism rankings of the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait.

The UAE, which ranked 18 among 124 countries surveyed in 2007, took the 40 spot this year.

The tourism index, known as the Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index (TTCI), is based on 71 criteria and variables. Saudi Arabia ranked first as the most AIDS-free tourism destination in the world.

The kingdom took second position as the country with the lowest fuel charges, seventh in terms of taxes levied on tourists, and 15th regarding airport fees. The report ranks Saudi Arabia 15th in the availability of airline seats, and 39th in the number of airline services.

Switzerland retained its top position on the index, followed by Austria and Germany. The countries held on to their 2007 rankings. Australia, Spain, the UK, the US, Sweden, Canada and France completed the top ten, this year.

Qatar ranked first among Arab countries followed by Tunisia at 39th spot and UAE at 40.

The index showed Saudi Arabia received 8.62 million tourists, who spent $4.96 billion, in 2006.

The report that placed particular focus on the environment, said the volume of revenue from international tourism rose from $2.1 billion to $622.7 billion between 1950 and 2004.