Seven Southeast Asian countries improved their world rankings in the latest data on the Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index (TCCI) as compiled by the World Economic Forum (WEF).
According to the Khmer Times, the report that included 140 countries saw Singapore as Southeast Asia's most competitive tourism market. The city-state was followed by Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, and Vietnam.
Cambodia, while it sat in 98th place among the countries included in the WEF report, jumped three spots higher and ranked 44th in the prioritization of travel and tourism segment.
As part of its efforts to further improve travel interest in the kingdom, Cambodia announced plans to launch a Strategic Plan for Tourism Development. It has a long way to go to oust other countries in the list but the Cambodian government expressed determination to move up.
It's not surprising that Singapore made it to the top 20 of this year's list. The city-state grabbed the 17th spot as it is considered worldwide as one of the major destinations for backpackers and travelers.
No other Southeast Asian country made it to the higher ranks but in Asia, Japan, South Korea, and China sat in the top 20 comfortable, with Japan sharing the top spot with other western nations, Business Insider reported.
Vietnam is another notable Southeast Asian country in this year's travel competitiveness report. The country now ranks 63rd globally as it continues to be a location of interest since the China-U.S. trade dispute kicked off.
For competitiveness in pricing, Vietnam ranked 22nd - a rank that is 13 places higher than its previous standing in last year's report. It also jumped 11 places in the air travel infrastructure segment.
The Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) said that during the first eight months of 2019, travels to the country saw a hike of 8.7 percent, accounting for 11.3 million foreign visits.
Thailand is also a significant game-changer in the Southeast Asian tourism sector as it sat on the 31st place in the list. The Philippines climbed four places higher at 75th place globally, marking a huge change in the region's tourism rankings.
Thailand is known for its largest travel and tourism gross domestic product (GDP) in all of Southeast Asia. The country boasts of natural resources that many travelers have shared excellent reviews and experiences.
The Philippines, on the other hand, was praised on the WEF report, as it stated that the country had the "fastest rate of improvement" in the region this year for the overall rankings.
For most of the Southeast Asian countries on the report, industry experts recommended improving infrastructure for both air and land travel, as well as security measures, to further climb up in the WEF's next competitiveness update.
