Uzbekistan has led the ranking of countries that, over the past five years from 2019 to 2024, most actively developed their economies for the global tourism market, according to a report on the state of the international tourism and travel market prepared by the World Economic Forum.

During this period, the country climbed 16 positions (+7.8%) and now ranks 78th out of 119 countries in the tourism and travel sector development ranking.

Besides Uzbekistan, the list includes Côte d'Ivoire (+6.4%), Albania (+5.9%), Saudi Arabia (+5.7%), Tanzania (+4.5%), Indonesia (+4.5%), the UAE (+4.4%), Egypt (+4.3%), Nigeria (+4.2%), and El Salvador (+4%).

Additionally, a separate ranking was compiled for the top 10 countries contributing to the development of the global tourism market, which includes the USA, Spain, Japan, France, Australia, Germany, the United Kingdom, China, Italy, and Switzerland.

Experts believe that this year, thanks to the lifting of coronavirus restrictions and strong pent-up demand, the international tourism market should return to pre-pandemic levels.