Marking a first-ever assessment of cities’ readiness for tourism growth, WTTC and JLL have teamed up to launch a brand new way of evaluating and delivering on solutions to foster sustainable growth in tourism activity.
The research analysis covers a deep dive into the current scale and concentration of visitor activity, an index of urban readiness, and an assessment of engagement related to tourism policies. The newly created index brings together a board spectrum of destination practices and community attributes to determine a level and type of readiness, and an action plan to drive proactive growth going forward.
In partnership with:
Status and readiness
Scale vs concentration
Visitor activity
Visitor attractions
Connectivity
Tourism economy
Accommodations
Convention space
Leisure vs business drivers
Visitor activity
Corporate environment
Visitor attractions
Connectivity
Wealth
Accommodations
Convention space
Urban readiness
Labor availability
Urban infrastructure
Environment
Stability
Policy engagement
Economic development plan
Citizen engagement policy
Tourism flows management policy
Sustainable tourism growth plan
Home sharing policy
Tourism development tax legislation
Levels of city readiness
Where does my city rank?
Click through below to see the five levels of city readiness based on urban infrastructure, tourism assets and city-level policy.
Managing momentum
High growth momentum driven by leisure travel
Visitor volumes and activities with potential to cause strain on the city
Cities involved:
Amsterdam
Barcelona
Paris
Prague
Rome
San Francisco
Stockholm
Toronto
Vancouver
Mature performers
Strong leisure and/or business travel
Visitor volumes and activity increasingly testing cities’ readiness for additional growth
Cities involved:
Auckland
Berlin
Dublin
Las Vegas
Lisbon
London
Los Angeles
Madrid
Miami
New York
Seoul
Seville
Sydney
Balanced dynamics
Cities often are financial hubs with lower share of leisure travel
Additional runway for visitor growth without straining cities’ urban landscape
Cities involved:
Beijing
Chicago
Dubai
Hong Kong
Munich
Osaka
Shanghai
Singapore
Tokyo
Washington, DC
Emerging performers
Growing tourism momentum and increased pressures
Cities involved:
Bangkok
Cape Town
Delhi
Ho Chi Minh City
Istanbul
Jakarta
Mexico City
Dawning developers
Slower tourism growth, and lower visitor concentration—for now
Cities involved:
Bogota
Buenos Aires
Cairo
Chengdu
Kuala Lumpur
Lima
Manila
Moscow
Mumbai
Rio de Janeiro
Riyadh
Does my city have the right policy setting?
Economic development plan
Does the city’s economic development plan reference tourism? Tourism is one of the key priority areas in Osaka’s economic development strategy. It plans to boost urban appeal by promoting a ‘City of Water’ identity through revitalizing waterways transportation; and transforming the Osaka Castle Park Area into a tourism hub.
Citizen engagement policy
Does your city have a process for measuring local views? Sydney actively engages their citizens and community through online platforms and meetings, which helps them shape a strategic direction of the city.
Tourism flows management policy
Does the city have a policy to manage visitor flows in response to increased strains on the city? 'Connectivity and dispersal’ is one of the key focus under Auckland’s Destination AKL 2025 plan. The objectives are to help smooth flows of visitors by improving connectivity through effective public transport, and by reducing seasonality with a calendar of events spread evenly across the year.
Sustainable tourism growth
Does your city have a policy on fostering sustainable growth levels? Berlin has issued a sustainable and city-compatible tourism plan which lays out action points to promote long-term moderate tourism growth.
Home sharing policy
Has the city government passed legislation to regulate home sharing? The City of Los Angeles council recently passed an ordinance to legalise home sharing. The regulations are intended to curb the negative effects of short-term rentals on neighbourhoods and the housing stock, while establishing a legal framework for responsible home sharing.
Tourism development tax legislation & promotion
Has the city passed legislation for a tourism development tax (or similar)? In Barcelona, a tax is charged on all overnight stays in the city’s tourist accommodation. The local government reinvests this amount into many tourism-related projects. i.e. remodeling pedestrian areas; promotion of culture and fight against illegal accommodation.
Contact us to receive a copy of the full report or request to have your city evaluated for readiness.