Switzerland remains number one destination for sustainable and quality tourism. Despite marked falls in the visits by tourists to Greece and Portugal, European countries remain the leading countries for tourism and leisure, according to the most recent survey by the World Economy Forum. This survey was carried out in cooperation with the Booz & Company consulting company (Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report 2011). The survey analyses the performance of the tourist industry in 139 countries in the world, according to 60 different criteria. German-speaking countries in Europe are at the top of the list and offer the best conditions for health and safety, infrastructure, price competitiveness, cultural resources, environmental protection and regulation. Overall, Europe is strongly represented in the Top 10, with 7 European countries among the big hitters. Switzerland is in first place, a position that it also held in the 2009 survey. Germany is up one place, followed by France, which is also up one place and is now in third position. Austria is in fourth position, down two places, followed by Sweden (down two places). The other countries in the Top 10 are: the US (fifth place; up two places), the United Kingdom (seventh place; up four places), Spain (eighth place; down two places), Canada (ninth place; down four places) and Singapore (tenth place, no change). Germany is also highlighted for being a country that invests most in sustainable tourism and environmental protection. Since 2008, France has been implementing a new tourist policy, designed to attract new visitors, particularly from the Middle East and Asia. In this perspective, it has undertaken hotel improvements and modernised tourism infrastructure. This approach has been accompanied by aid to the tourist industry through tax breaks. Greece and Portugal are the main losers in Europe (Greece fell from 22nd to 28th place and Portugal from 15th to 18th place) due to the debt crisis and economic restrictions ushered through by the government in these countries, which have affected the tourist industry. The European country that has made the most headway is Montenegro. This small Balkan state has included environmental protection in its constitution and is promoting sustainable development in its hotel infrastructure. The decision by its government to reject mass tourism has enabled Montenegro to go from 59th to 36th place in the ranking. The average overall score in the regions examined for the different tourist conditions remains similar to 2008 but competitiveness is getting sharper. Jürgen Ringbeck, a tourism experts and senior partner at Booz & Company, explained that “for the established travel destinations, preserving the status quo is definitely not a sustainable strategy to the future in order to win out over new, aspirational travel regions from Eastern Europe, the Middle East or Asia. For these dynamic regions, we identified significantly above average structural improvements during the study”. Overall, the dynamic in the tourism sector is moving away from Europe and North America, towards the east. In the Asia-Pacific region, international tourist arrivals from 2000 to 2010 increased nearly twice as fast (85%) as the global average (39%). China is a key growth driver in this trend and it is investing in its tourist infrastructure. In 2008 it was in 39th position but it is now in 23rd place in the listing. Traditional North Africa and tourist destinations such as Tunisia and Egypt have fallen behind because they have not invested in their infrastructure. Bahrain and Oman have, however, improved their scores. Uncertainties regarding the political situation in North African and Arab countries have had a short-term negative impact but if the situation stabilises and positive reforms are carried out, there could be a positive impact for the tourist industry, explain the authors of this report. (I.L./transl.fl)