Being a tourist-friendly destination does not make it business-friendly

Being a destination tourists love does not make you a destination operators love. A Hospitality Net analysis ranks 10 favourable and 10 challenging countries for hospitality business and lands an uncomfortable conclusion for many public officials, the tax rate alone does not explain where a chain, an OTA or a short-term rental manager ends up making money.

What really weighs in:

• Regulatory stability over the medium term, not the election-year headline.
• Ease of opening and operating, with clear licences and predictable timelines.
• Access to financing and to talent trained for the sector.
• Real infrastructure, transport, connectivity, not just a pretty poster.

My take. The race to appear in "tourist-friendly destination" rankings distracts from the conversation that actually moves investment, how the one bringing capital and operating is treated. A country can be wonderful for the visitor and a bureaucratic nightmare for the one signing the lease. That is where it is decided whether the next international chain hotel lands or whether the owner thinks twice. The opportunity is clear, destinations that simplify licences, stability and reasonable taxation take the projects others lose. Not tourism romanticism, it is the bottom line.