Phl named 26th friendliest country

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippines is the 26th friendliest country in the world.

Based on the World Economic Forum (WEF)’s 2013 Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report, the Philippines has made significant improvement in the travel and tourism industry, from rank 94 in 2011 to 82 in 2013.

The top 10 friendliest countries were Iceland, New Zealand, Morocco, Macedonia, Austria, Senegal, Portugal, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ireland and Burkina Faso.

The 2013 Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index has ranked 140 countries according to a number of things, including competitiveness and attractiveness to the tourism and travel industries.

In the category “Attitude of population toward foreign visitors,” the Philippines ranked 26th with a score of 6.5.

By region, the Philippines obtained an overall ranking of 16th with a score of 3.3.

The WEF report said: “The Philippines is the most improved country in the region, ranking 16th regionally and 82nd overall, up 12 places since the last edition.– Helen Flores, Mayen Jaymalin