The objective of this paper is to analyse the challenges, limitations and perspectives of the model of the Tourism Competitiveness Index within the context of Brazilian tourism national policy. The research methodology included documentary and bibliography analysis and participant observation, as well as interviews with 14 representatives of the Ministry of Tourism, the National Sebrae and the Getulio Vargas Foundation, institutions responsible for creating the Index. Among the highlighted limitations, is the excess of uniformity in data collection and analysis; the omission of the opinion of the demand and the unanimous view that the results of the Competitiveness Index are still underutilized by the destinations and other interested institutions, such as the Ministry of Tourism. As for the challenges and perspectives, it was pointed out that the Index does not consider the opinion of the demand. The sample of the then 65 destinations was, in principle, defined as part of a national tourism policy strategy, which has been discontinued. The destinations are no longer classified as inductors. Therefore, the Tourism Competitiveness Index has become just a tool for monitoring or diagnosing the destinations.