BD ranks 98th out of 110

Bangladesh has ranked 98th out of 110 economies in the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Travel and Tourism Development Index 2026, remaining at the bottom among the 18 Asia-Pacific economies assessed. The country scored 3.34 out of 7, up from 3.19 in 2024, when it ranked 109th among 119 economies. Despite the improvement, Bangladesh’s score remained below the global average of 4.1 and placed it last among the five South Asian countries included in the latest index.

Published in collaboration with Zurich Insurance Group, the biennial index assesses factors and policies supporting the sustainable and resilient development of travel and tourism. 

Economist Khondaker Golam Moazzem, president of the Knowledge Hub Institute, said Bangladesh has considerable natural and environmental tourism resources, but inadequate infrastructure and supporting facilities have limited the sector’s development.

He also identified the country’s limited ability to attract international tourists as a major challenge. According to him, tourism remains largely dependent on domestic visitors, while many foreign arrivals come for work and stay only briefly.

Moazzem stressed the need to attract international, religious, nature-based and regional tourists and called for greater private-sector participation in tourism policymaking, operations and infrastructure development.

Bangladesh performed best in Travel and Tourism Resources, ranking 70th with a score of 1.98. It ranked 80th in Infrastructure and Services, 89th in Enabling Environment, 102nd in Travel and Tourism Policy and Enabling Conditions, and 103rd in Travel and Tourism Sustainability.

The country performed poorly particularly in openness to travel and tourism and tourist services and infrastructure, ranking second worst globally in both pillars.

Among South Asian countries, India ranked 31st, Sri Lanka 69th, Nepal 86th and Pakistan 95th.

Globally, Japan topped the index, followed by the United States, Spain, Australia and France. The WEF said global tourism recorded a record 1.5 billion international arrivals in 2025, while around 307 million people travelled internationally in the first quarter of 2026.