Analytics, EU – Baltic States, Rating, Tourism, Transport

The Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report 2013 ranks 140 countries according to attractiveness and competitiveness in the travel and tourism industries.

Bolivia, Venezuela, Russia, Kuwait and Latvia are listed as the top five unfriendliest countries for tourists.

At the other end of the scale, Iceland, New Zealand, Morocco, Macedonia and Austria are ranked the world's most welcoming nations for visitors.

Latvia's overall position in the Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report is 48th – three places up from 2011. Estonia is ranked 30th, down from 25th place in 2011, whereas Lithuania is in 49th place, up from 55th in 2011.

Excellent tourism infrastructure and facilities, business travel appeal, sustainable development of natural resources and rich cultural resources are among the key factors in landing the highest positions in the rankings.

Safety/security, underdeveloped infrastructure and concerns about sustainable development are among the factors bringing down countries' competitiveness.

The report emphasizes the need for continued development in the travel and tourism sector particularly for its role in job creation in a relatively stagnant global economy.

The industry currently accounts for one in 11 jobs in the world.

The report uses data compiled from the World Economic Forum's Executive Opinion Survey and hard data from private sources and national and international agencies and organizations such as the ICAO, IATA, UNWTO, World Bank/International Finance Corporation, IUCN, WHO and UNESCO.