The World Economic Forum (WEF) has published its annual league table for the global travel and tourism industry.

According to the WEF’s Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report(TTCI), Switzerland, Austria and Germany have the most conducive environments for developing the travel and tourism industry, with Australia, Spain, the UK, the US, Sweden, Canada and France completing the top 10.

However, the UK was ranked a lowly 127 out of 130 countries on its price competitiveness, further strengthening the image of the UK as one of the most expensive countries in the world.

The UK also scored poorly on safety and security, and was ranked 63rd, behind countries such as Syria, Saudi Arabia, Bosnia and Israel.

The TTCI measures the factors and policies that have an impact on the development of tourism in 130 countries.

Jennifer Blanke, senior economist of the WEF’s Global Competitiveness Network, said: “Our study is not a ‘beauty contest’ on the attractiveness of a country.

“Rather, we aim to measure the factors that make it attractive to develop the travel and tourism industry of individual countries.

“The top-ranked countries demonstrate the importance of supportive business and regulatory frameworks, coupled with world-class transport and tourism infrastructure and a focus on nurturing human and natural resources.”