WEF says Spain's tourism sector most competitive in the world in 2014. The global tourism sector has continued to grow despite geopolitical tension in the Middle East, Southeast Asia and Ukraine and the threats of terrorism and the spread of global pandemics. If these threats continue to persist, they could, nevertheless, have significant repercussions on the tourist and travel industry because they effectively impact on the preliminary condition required for growth in the sector, namely, the ability to travel in complete safety. This is the conclusion reached in the annual international tourism report published on 7 May by the World Economic Forum (WEF). The sector has continued to grow over the past few years and in 2014 reached a record level of 14.1 billion international tourist arrivals, 51 million more than in 2013, according to the statistics provided by the World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO). The World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) has estimated that tourism and travel now accounts for 9.5% of global GDP. With annual average growth of 3.4% over the past four years, the sector has superseded the rate of growth worldwide, which stood at just 2.3% during the same period. Over the next five years, developments in the sector could speed this growth up to 5.2% a year, according to the WTTC. It also generates a total of $7,000 billion and 5.4% of all exports in the world. Tourism plays a key role as a driver for growth and the creation of 266 million jobs, directly or indirectly (2014), according to statistics in the report. It now accounts for 1 in 11 jobs in the world, a figure that could increase to 1 out of 10 jobs by 2022. Top 10: Spain was top of the league in 2015, for the first time, ahead of France (second), Germany (third), US (fourth), United Kingdom (fifth), Switzerland (which moves from first to sixth place), Australia (seventh), Italy (eighth), Japan (ninth) and Canada (tenth). It should be pointed out that tourism played a crucial role in Spain's return to growth, where unemployment is close to 24%. Regional results: Europe is in the Top 10, with six countries included in this category and continues to dominate the market through its infrastructure and tourist services, its excellent health and hygiene conditions and, in particular, the significant opening up and international integration measures included in the Schengen Area. It should also be pointed out that in the biennial WEF report, experts welcomed the particular efforts made by France which has increased its attractiveness and competitiveness in tourism by moving from seventh place in 2013 to second place in 2015. France is in first place for the criteria on “cultural resources” and in fourth place for “the quality of infrastructure and adaptation to digital consumer habits”. It is, however, significantly worse in its rating for criteria on prices. With regard to Spain, its leading position can be explained by its cultural attractiveness (number one for this criteria), as well as the quality of its infrastructure (second place). In emerging economies, China (seventeenth place) and Brazil (twenty-fifth place) have succeeded in being among the 30 most attractive countries in the tourism sector. Many countries still have to make some significant effort to meet a number of challenges that are still creating a barrier to their respective tourist industries, such as improved processes for awarding visas and promoting and protecting their cultural heritage. Four conclusions are drawn from the results in the 2015 publication: - the tourism and travel industry continues to grow more rapidly than the world economy as a whole; - the best performing countries are those that are best prepared to seize the opportunities provided in the new trends, such as increasing demand in emerging and developing countries, different practices among senior citizens and the young, the significant growth in online services and marketing through the mobile Internet; - development of the sector provides opportunities for growth and social benefits for all countries, irrespective of their wealth; - developments in the tourist and travel industry is complex, insofar as it requires inter-ministerial coordination and international and public-private partnerships if it is to overcome the financial, institutional and organisational bottlenecks that exist. (Isabelle Lamberty)