WTTC Launches PEO Indices at WTM London, Backed by Oman

The top 20 tourism economies accounted for 81% of global Travel & Tourism GDP in 2024 — and that concentration is exactly the kind of picture the WTTC's new benchmarking framework, unveiled November 3 at WTM London, wants to complicate.

The World Travel & Tourism Council, working with Oxford Economics and Oman's OMRAN Group, launched the Power, Efficiency & Opportunity (PEO) Indices, covering 184 economies. The framework scores destinations on three separate dimensions instead of a single ranking built on arrivals and spending.

• Tourism Power — economic contribution, employment and investment.
• Environmental Efficiency — greenhouse gas emissions, energy, water, air pollution and materials use relative to economic activity.
• Employment Opportunities — job creation and opportunities for women and young people.

The indices are meant to be read together, not merged into one "best destination" league table.

Who leads the Tourism Power Index?

The United States tops the Power Index, followed by China and India. Germany, France, the UK, Japan, Mexico, Spain and Saudi Arabia complete the top ten. The ranking largely mirrors market size, which is precisely the point WTTC wants to move beyond.

Gloria Guevara, WTTC President and CEO, said: "Travel & Tourism is one of the world's most powerful sectors, and these new Indices give us a broader and more holistic way to understand its impact. As the sector grows, we must focus on quality as well as quantity of growth."

Did environmental efficiency actually improve?

Between 2019 and 2024, the global Environmental Efficiency score rose 2.3 points. The low-carbon energy component gained 6.7 points; greenhouse gas intensity improved 3.9 points. Sweden leads the high-income group and Costa Rica tops the upper-middle-income tier.

One caveat matters for anyone using these numbers: efficiency measures output per unit of emissions or water, not total impact. A destination can score better while its absolute footprint keeps growing.

Why is Oman the story here?

Oman didn't just host the launch — it funded the research. Through OMRAN Group (the state destination developer, founded 2005, operating under the Oman Investment Authority), the Sultanate backed a global study rather than a domestic one, an unusual move for a national tourism body.

The data rewards that bet. Women hold 28% of Travel & Tourism jobs in Oman versus 18% across the Middle East. Young people make up 13% of tourism employment, against less than 9% in the wider Omani economy. Oman improved on all three PEO dimensions between 2019 and 2024, driven by higher tourism GDP, employment, and gains in water use, air pollution and materials efficiency.

Eng. Ayad Al Balushi, CEO of OMRAN Group, said: "The PEO Indices represent an important step forward in how we define and measure tourism success, looking beyond growth to the efficiency, opportunity and lasting value the sector creates."

The initiative also fits Oman Vision 2040, the national plan that positions tourism as a diversification pillar.

Which small destinations come out ahead?

The Employment Opportunities Index surfaces names absent from revenue rankings: Croatia leads high-income economies, the Maldives tops upper-middle-income, El Salvador leads lower-middle-income, and The Gambia ranks first among low-income economies. Grenada and Belize also stand out for tourism's share of national employment.

Employment shares, though, say nothing about wages or working conditions — an open question the index doesn't answer.

The framework isn't regulatory and sets no mandatory standards. Its weight will depend on whether governments and investors actually use the indicators, and on the transparency of the methodology behind them. For now, the full results sit on WTTC's interactive dashboard, and Oman has bought itself a seat at the table where tourism success gets defined.