What is the top ‘country brand’ in the world?

Country:  Australia; Canada; China; Croatia; Germany; Italy; Japan; Sweden; Switzerland; UK; UAE; United States

14 November 2008

Australia is the world’s number one ‘country brand’ for the third consecutive year, followed by Canada and the USA, according to the 2008 Country Brand Index (CBI) from research consultancy FutureBrand.
 
Released at the World Travel Market exhibition earlier this week, the CBI showed that the other most recognised country brands were Italy and Switzerland, followed by France, New Zealand, the UK, Japan and Sweden, respectively.
 
The country brands identified as ideal for business were the US, Germany and the UK, while the country brands considered the best place to live in were Australia, New Zealand and Canada. The Netherlands , Spain and Canada were listed as the best country brands for ease of travel, while the UAE, the US and the Maldives were the top brands for resort and lodging options.
 
“In this our fourth year, it is exciting to see many countries embracing the idea of brand,” said Rina Plapler, FutureBrand’s senior executive director. “However, we still feel this is a largely underdeveloped category with most countries continuing to promote and market themselves in ways that are not differentiated. Particularly in the coming years, country brands must improve their strategic orientation as well as their delivery.”
 
The CBI identified China, the UAE and Croatia as the top three countries most likely to become major tourist destinations in the next five years. Other “rising stars” included Vietnam, India and Cuba. The report also highlighted a “changing landscape” within the industry, noting that traditional tourism “hotspots” are being overshadowed by rising star destinations, with Asia, Asia Pacific and the Middle East all experiencing higher growth rates than the average world demand.
 
In addition, the study identified a rise in specialised travel, highlighting emerging tourism patterns such as: ‘the rise of women’, with women travelling more frequently on their own; ‘grandchild on board’, as the number of affluent retired tourists increases; ‘finite travel’, with more people visiting places considered endangered; ‘spontaneous travel’, as tourists take shorter trips each year, often booked at the last minute; and ‘religious tourism’, as pilgrimages become more popular.
 
René A. Mack, president of Weber Shanwick’s Travel & Lifestyle Global Practice, added: “With the current state of the world – economic turmoil, political unrest and global warming – it’s always fascinating to see which countries come out on top in branding themselves, generating global recognition and fuelling the travel and tourism industry.”

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