World Economic Forum Annual Report 2006/2007

World Economic Forum Annual Report 2006/2007 29for measures of competitiveness, providing criticalinsights to the business community and policymakers.This year’s report covers a record 125economies, up from 117 last year, and presentscomprehensive data on over 100 variables oncompetitiveness.The GCN also carries out a number ofcompetitiveness studies at regional and industrylevels, such as the Lisbon Review 2006, publishedin November. This is the third in a biennial seriesassessing the progress made by European Unionmember countries in the far-reaching goals of theEU’s Lisbon Strategy of economic and structuralreforms. The study highlights the extent of theprogress still needed to transform the EU into “themost competitive and dynamic knowledge-basedeconomy in the world” by 2010.The first-ever Travel & Tourism CompetitivenessReport was launched in March 2007. This projectassesses the industry’s competitiveness within thecontext of the Forum’s Aviation, Travel and TourismIndustry Partnership programme. One of the world’slargest economic activities, Travel & Tourism (T&T) isthe main industry in many countries, as well as thefastest-growing economic sector in terms of foreignexchange earnings. The report measures andanalyses the drivers of T&T competitiveness aroundthe world and provides the most updated data,rankings and analysis of industry competitivenessin 124 industrialized and emerging economies.It also features the latest thinking and researchfrom the industry’s most prominent figures.We anticipate the T&T report to act as a powerfultool for industry members to enter into informeddialogue with policy-makers, and to identify areasfor potential reform. A number of workshops arenow being carried out in developing countries,with the aim of improving prospects for the sector.In March 2007, the GCN launched the sixth annualGlobal Information Technology Report, whichassesses the economic impact of information andcommunication technology (ICT). Being an activeforce in the digital revolution and leveraging thelatest technological advances for development,it is now widely recognized as a key driver of anation’s competitiveness. The report remains themost comprehensive and respected internationalassessment of the preparedness of countriesto capture the benefits of participating in thenetworked economy.The third Arab World Competitiveness Report2007 aims to identify tangible solutions to theconstraints that limit faster growth in the region.125The Global Competitiveness Report 2006–2007 includeda record 125 economies worldwide covering all regionsand accounting for over 98% of world GDP.