Spain, France, Germany, the U.S. and the U.K. are the top five economies most ready for tourism, according to the latest Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report.
The report utilizes the Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Index (TTCI), which is designed to measure a number of factors and policies "that enable the sustainable development of the travel and tourism sector, which in turn, contributes to the development and competitiveness of a country."
The TTCI rates the travel and tourism competitiveness of more than 140 nations' economies, and comprises four subindexes, more than a dozen pillars, and 90 individual indicators.
In addition to Spain, France, Germany and the U.K., Europe's Switzerland and Italy cracked the top 10 on the latest index, coming in sixth and eighth, respectively. As a result, Europe stands alone as the region with the most competitive travel and tourism economies.
Although Spain is only the third-most visited country in the world, it scores highly on the index thanks to its cultural resources, appeal to business travelers and a significant number of online searches for things like entertainment.
What's more, Spain scored well in its prioritization of the travel and tourism industry and tourism service infrastructure.
By comparison, the U.S., which drew 74 million international visitors last year, fares similarly well in a number of different categories, but has plenty of room to improve in others, including restrictive visa requirements, ground transportation quality, security and environmental sustainability.
Joining Spain and the U.S. are Australia (Asia Pacific), the United Arab Emirates (Middle East and North Africa) and South Africa (Sub-Saharan Africa), which all lead their respective regions, according to the index.
Here's a look at the top 25 in 2015:
1. Spain (5.31)
2. France (5.24)
3. Germany (5.22)
4. United States (5.12)
5. United Kingdom (5.12)
6. Switzerland (4.99)
7. Australia (4.98)
8. Italy (4.98)
9. Japan (4.94)
10. Canada (4.92)
11. Singapore (4.86)
12. Austria (4.82)
13. Hong Kong (4.68)
14. Netherlands (4.67)
15. Portugal (4.64)
16. New Zealand (4.64)
17. China (4.54)
18. Iceland (4.54)
19. Ireland (4.53)
20. Norway (4.52)
21. Belgium (4.51)
22. Finland (4.47)
23. Sweden (4.45)
24. United Arab Emirates (4.43)
25. Malaysia (4.41)
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