Dubai: Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are among the Gulf countries to enter the international trade and tourism rankings.
Bloom Consulting, a branding firm specializing in region, country and city, released its business and tourism country rankings for 2022-23.
The business rankings showed that the UK was No. 1 despite Brexit, pushing the US to second place.
India continued its upward journey to reach the third position. France and Germany were ranked fourth and fifth.
“This year’s Country Brand Ranking shows that purposeful, focused actions drive impactful, long-term results,” Bloom Consulting CEO and Nation and Place Branding Global Director Jose Philippe Torres told Arab News.
In Asia, Saudi Arabia rose one place to 12th, while the United Arab Emirates dropped five places to 13th.
Other Gulf countries in the ranking are Jordan 22nd, Oman 25th, Qatar 27th, Bahrain 29th and Kuwait 36th.
Torres said Saudi Arabia continues to implement its Vision 2030 framework aimed at diversifying its economy and reducing its dependence on oil.
Oman’s improvement in the rankings was indicative of “the impact of policymaking on the country’s performance”, he said, referring to the launch of commercial company and foreign capital investment laws in the country.
Spain took the lead in the tourism rankings, beating the US for the first time.
Despite suffering the worst effects of the pandemic, Spain and Italy were the leaders this year, pushing the US to third place. The top five countries are dominated by Europe, with Germany coming in fourth and pushing the UK below five.
The Gulf countries had a significant presence within Asia in the rankings. Saudi Arabia is ranked 17th, Qatar 18th, Jordan 19th, UAE 21st, Oman 22nd and Bahrain 24th.
Torres said Bahrain climbed four places on the list, mostly due to the tourism strategy launched in 2015, which was reviewed and updated in 2021.
The UAE’s ranking was expected to improve in the next edition.
“As the host of Expo 2020, the UAE has benefited from global press coverage and international visitor arrivals in the COVID-19 recovery period. With the return of travel, it is likely to bring good news for the country in the next edition of the rankings,” he said.