The United States earned the coveted spot as the world’s top country brand for the first time in the fifth annual Country Brand Index (CBI), rising from the third spot in 2008. Canada, host to the 2010 Winter Olympics, held on to the second ranking as Australia, always a perennial favorite, slipped from the premier ranking to number three. Other countries making the top 10 of the global 2009 CBI study include New Zealand, France, and Italy. CBI is a comprehensive study of approximately 3,000 international business and leisure travelers from nine countries. It examines how countries are branded and ranked, and identifies emerging global trends in the world’s fastest growing economic sector – travel and tourism, which accounted for US$944 billion in international tourism receipts in 2008.

This year’s index, conducted by FutureBrand, a leading global brand consultancy, in conjunction with public relations firm Weber Shandwick’s Global Travel & Lifestyle Practice, includes rankings and trends, themes in nation building and marketing issues, as well as more in-depth analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of the Top 10 country brands and a look at the “Next 10,” those top country brands ranking 11-20. Additionally, research was expanded to cover 102 country brands, which allowed a breakdown of regional rankings to be included. Other new topics include: the political and economic sides of country branding; discrepancies between perception and reality of a country brand; and “A New Focus on Value,” which speaks to one of the chief motivators in travel and tourism this year, (visit http://www.futurebrand.com/cbi for complete results).

“This is the fifth year we have been able to continue to innovate around country brand thinking, methodology and findings. This category remains one with tremendous potential not only for tourism but investment, trade and policy. Even with the global economic circumstances facing many nations, the need to maximize opportunity and present a cohesive identity is critical,” said Rina Plapler, senior executive director, FutureBrand.

“It is interesting to note that America has risen to #1 country brand this year. It’s logical to assume that the shift in the political climate and renewed optimism surrounding the election of President Obama was a key influencer in the U.S. topping the list,” said René A. Mack, president, Weber Shandwick’s Travel & Lifestyle Global Practice. “It will be very interesting to see the U.S.’s performance next year and understand if this was a halo effect of a new president, or if the country can actually capitalize on this opportunity to better create a strong brand.”

This year’s CBI also touches on a variety of topics relevant to travelers and tourism professionals including: how small nations can compete with much larger countries; the different ways destinations can communicate value; and the year’s best and worst country brand marketing. Other notable topics focus on the use of social media in country branding and how icons, national companies and sports drive the development of country brand image.

The following are highlights from this year’s Country Brand Index, listing the top five countries in rank order for each category:

The 2009 Country Brand Index reports

a number of emerging trends in travel and tourism that include:

• Value-Oriented Mindset – The global economic downturn has led consumers to think about travel from a financial standpoint and make decisions accordingly. The concept of value, as defined by more for less, continues to flourish in this environment. Whatever type of vacation travelers are able to afford, whether this be basic or luxury accommodations, consumers expect a bargain. Consumers are thinking like financial analysts in choosing destinations and properties that are undervalued and booking trips that allow them to maintain the style they were accustomed to in boom times.
• Attitudes Towards Travel Planning – With the plethora of last-minute travel bargains and new internet tools allowing for instant bargain bookings, there is a growing divide between those favoring impromptu trips and others prone to careful organization and advanced planning to account for more meaningful and structured travel experiences. This being true, the study also finds that even in the downturn, must-do travel—whether attending a milestone event like a wedding or taking an event-driven trip like attending the Super Bowl to support a local team—still persists. Additionally, semi-permanent and open road trips are also aspects of the travel landscape that are expanding as technology permits passengers to plan on the go and hotels largely have vacancies and thus the ability to accommodate travelers at the last minute.
• The Mystery of Authenticity – The importance of authenticity is well-known — but the differing attitudes toward and different definitions of the idea mean that there is some discrepancy on why some destinations are thriving and other travel experiences are reinventing the concept. Below are four trends emerging from this larger conversation:
  • Synthetic Destinations – Destinations conscious of “classic” places of the past—like Paris, Rome and London—are desperate for a piece of this tourism business and are subsequently planning and buying their ways onto the map by upgrading infrastructure and building attractions to build the number of foreign visitors and investors. Examples of new synthetic destinations include United Arab Emirates’ man-made islands and Qatar’s Museum of Islamic Arts.
  • Fauxthentic Travel – Travelers looking for authentic experiences yet would prefer not to put in the leg work and expense are turning to “faux authentic” hotels and tours for a simulated experience replicating the originals. Some travel to the Mayan Temple at Atlantis Paradise Island, Bahamas and take gondola rides at The Venetian Las Vegas to have “real” experiences from afar, while others pretend to rough it in luxury “tents” at places like the Molori Safari Lodge in South Africa while guides give them a real taste of the destination.
  • Tomorrow’s Hidden Jewels – For those constantly seeking out the next destination untouched by tourism, an authentic travel experience is an off-the-beaten path adventure. Destinations such as Croatia and Thailand used to top the list of uncharted spots, but the study predicts Azerbaijan, Ghana and the Balkans will be next to hit adventure seekers’ radars.
  • Cradles of Civilization – Though many of the world’s most historic places are currently immersed in civil unrest, making them unsafe for most visitors, this study predicts an upsurge in visitors to these cradles of civilization as the zones become safer. Examples are the Fertile Crescent in Iraq, the Indus Valley in Pakistan and the ancient kingdoms of Mali and Songhai in modern-day Mali and Niger.

Rising Stars

CBI also identified the United Arab Emirates (UAE), China, and Vietnam, respectively, as the top three “rising stars” – those likely to become major tourist destinations in the next five years. Also making the list this year are Croatia, South Africa, and India.

Study Methodology

FutureBrand has developed a three-tiered system for examining and ranking country brands. The Country Brand Index incorporates global quantitative research, expert opinions, and relevant secondary sources for statistics that link brand equity to assets, growth and expansion. The result is a unique evaluation system that provides the basis of our rankings and insights about the complexities and dynamics of country brands. The 2009 survey tracks the perceptions of approximately 3,000 international business and leisure travelers from nine countries—the US, the UK, China, Australia, Japan, Brazil, UAE, Germany and Russia. Participants were screened to include frequent international travelers (who travel internationally more than once a year) between the ages of 21 and 65, with a balanced split between men and women. Respondent perceptions of 102 country brands were quantified through questions about behavior around destination selection; country associations across an array of 29 image attributes; and overall awareness, familiarity, past visits, intent to visit, and willingness to recommend destinations to others. Survey results were aggregated and weighted in proportion to regional volume of travel consumption. This was done in order to minimize potential bias around preferred locations from respondents from regions that may have been over-represented in the sample. Our 2009 expert panel consists of 47 travel, tourism and hospitality professionals who are not associated with one specific destination.

A new service by Dragon Trail is assisting travel organizations such as destinations and hotels to leverage this opportunity to market to Chinese consumers by leveraging digital marketing and social media. More information about the program is articulated in the article at 4hoteliers.com

Two travel and technology experts and Cornell alumni teamed up with Chinese social media guru to launch CHINAeCONNECT.net, a new service to help tourism destinations, hotel companies, and other travel organizations to leverage digital marketing and social media to connect with Chinese consumers

Beijing, China/Vancouver, Canada (April 20, 2009) - Recognizing the high growth in Chinese Outbound Tourism and the high growth of Chinese Internet participation, CHINAeCONNECT.net has developed a unique and proprietary methodology to connect brands with the lucrative Chinese leisure consumer.  While most other companies are taking traditional approaches, which are not yielding the same return and results anymore in the age of social media proliferation, the innovative execution model leverages digital marketing strategies, merges long years of proven marketing tactics with a set of proprietary social media solutions, and is backed by a scalable technology platform.  CHINAeCONNECT.net leverages content syndication, blogs, micro-blogs, social media and digital marketing campaigns, search engine optimization, and grass root engagement and highly effective influencer marketing campaigns, to target the Chinese online travel space for international travel organizations trying to market to Chinese consumers.

Two graduates from the Masters program of the Hotel School at Cornell University with extensive travel, tourism, hospitality, and technology and e-commerce expertise had the idea to launch the new service, when witnessing the challenge a lot of destinations and hotel companies are facing when marketing into China.  Jens Thraenhart, listed as one of the Top 25 Extraordinary Minds in Sales & Marketing in Travel and Hospitality by HSMAI, who was Head of Internet Strategy at Fairmont Hotels & Resorts and most recently the Executive Director of E-Marketing & CRM at the Canadian Tourism Commission partnered with George Cao, founder of various online travel start-ups in the USA and China (including SearchParty.com and Go10000.com), and with an extensive background in travel distribution technology for companies such as WorldRES.com, Choice Hotels and Hyatt International.  The founding team is completed by Winser Zhao, founder of early hotel reservation website SinoHotelReservation.com, and Chinese expert in grass-roots social media execution, and recent recipient of the Chinalyst Award for best English-speaking Chinese Travel blog, China Travel 2.0.

In 1995, the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) predicted that China would generate 100 million arrivals worldwide annually by 2020, making it the fourth largest market in the world (UNWTO Tourism 2020 Vision). In view of recent trends, it is on course to reach that target well before 2020.  China is one of the fastest growing outbound travel markets in the world. Thanks to rapid urbanisation, rising disposable incomes and relaxations of restrictions on foreign travel, outbound trip volume has grown by an annual average of 22.0% since 2000 and just under 15.5% since 1995 - reaching 34.5 million in 2006. International travel expenditure by mainland Chinese residents topped US$ 24.3 billion in 2006, ranking China the world’s sixth major spender on travel abroad. Based on the most recent report from CNNIC (April 2009), China’s Internet Governing Body, there are:

298 million Internet Users (up 41.3% from last year)
162 million people blog
118 million people surfs the net using mobile

AdAge China noted in April 2009 that China has 243 million broadband consumers. More interestingly, 92% (224 million) aged 13 and above, contributed to social media. This compared to 105 million Americans, or 76% of that country’s broadband population. Forty-three percent of Chinese broadband users (105 million people) communicate via forums/discussion boards, and 41 million Chinese are “heavy” social media contributors, meaning they participate in six or more activities and connect with at least 84 people on a “one-to-many” basis in a typical week.

The Chinese travel trade relies primarily on the websites of destination tourism bureaus, receptive operators and other suppliers, such as hotels and cruises. Websites targeted at the trade need to contain sufficiently detailed information, be updated on an ongoing basis, provide an avenue for inquiries, and of course, be in Chinese - but not direct translations of the English content into Chinese.

According to Jens Thraenhart, Co-founder and Director of Strategy of CHINAeCONNECT.net, “Having talked to many destinations and hotel companies all over the world, the desire to market to Chinese consumers and the growth of the Internet participation in China not only creates new rules, but also a need for help to target this lucrative market, especially in this challenging global economic situation.” George Cao, Co-founder and Director of Technology, adds, “The online landscape in China is vastly different compared to North America, Europe, or other parts of the world, and creating, what we call an E-Culture Ecosystem that not only requires market knowledge, a whole different set of technology applications, but most importantly intimate and long-standing relationships.”

“Intimate relationships, or Guanxi, is the foundation of grass-roots social media message penetration,” adds Co-founder and Director of Execution, Winser Zhao, “the understanding and appreciation of Chinese culture and Chinese customs and consumer behaviour coupled with our understanding of travel and our client’s needs, uniquely positions CHINAeCONNECT.net to help travel organizations worldwide take advantage of these growth trends.”

A recently released research report by Forrester Research (”Chinese Technographics Revealed”, 2009)revealed that in addition to the rapid increase and penetration of the Internet in China, the Online Engagement in China is incredibly high, compared to North America and Europe, with over 40% publish or upload content online, compared to just under 20% in North America and Europe.  And a new research study by PhoCusWright (”The Emerging Online Marketplace in China”, 2009) showed that 20% of all respondents look for online travel reviews when making travel purchase decisions, which is considerably high considering that travel reviews are fairly new to China.

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About CHINAeCONNECT.net
Based on the fact that China is one of the fastest growing outbound travel markets in the world, CHINAeCONNECT.net is founded by leading experts in the business use of social media, technology and e-tourism strategy, recognizing the need to assist travel, tourism, and hospitality organizations in marketing their products and service to the lucrative Chinese leisure market.  CHINAeCONNECT.net offers a broad suite of services ranging from strategic planning to online publicity; grassroots and social media marketing to business intelligence; content syndication and digital marketing campaign management, search engine optimization and technology and web development and maintenance; social insight and translation and web copy writing, in addition to a unique approach in influencer marketing. The website is being developed to become a one-stop stop for information on marketing travel to Chinese consumers. CHINAeCONNECT.net is an affiliate member of the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), a member of the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), a member of the Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association (HSMAI), and a member of the International Federation of IT in Travel and Tourism (IFITT) by being a subsidiary of Chameleon Strategies, Inc. (Canada) and Go10000.com (China).  Please visit www.CHINAeCONNECT.net for more information.

According to Jens Thraenhart, Founder and President of the Canadian e-Tourism Awards and Founder and Immediate Past Chair of the Canadian e-Tourism Council, “This awards program is not limited to business. This is the only e-tourism awards program that recognizes individuals for telling their travel stories online.” Many travellers share their stories, photos, and even videos about their travel experiences on the internet. This information is widely used and trusted by consumers in their travel research. We want to salute the most intriguing and exciting moments of travellers’ vacations and explorations in Canada.”

“The Canadian e-Tourism Awards will recognize individual travellers who create engaging online Canadian travel stories – told through words, photos or video on social networks or individual websites and blogs – and businesses that prove innovation, creativity and results in marketing Canadian travel experiences”, says 2009 Canadian e-Tourism Awards Chair Carol Alderdice of Tourism New Brunswick.

The Canadian e-Tourism Awards are now open to individuals and businesses – in a host of categories – who feature, market, or sell a Canadian destination, product, attraction, or experience. Award criteria and applications are now available online at www.canadianetourismawards.com. The awards are produced by Chameleon Strategies, and the website is hosted by REZGO and will feature online nominations and voting by individuals and businesses online. Entries will be accepted until midnight EDT, June 30sth, 2009.

Unlike other awards programs, nominations are free of charge a as the entry fee of $95 is waived for the second time in a row, and consumers can nominate and vote on all entries.

Enter now through June 30^th, 2009 at www.canadianetourismawards.com. Individual traveller and business entries will be judged for quality and the impact of their contributions. Individual entry is open to anyone who raises awareness and interest in Canada online, through content that can include their personal travel experiences told through stories, photos, or videos. These can be posted on a personal blog or community sites. Business entries are open to companies that promote Canada online, whether they are based in Canada or outside its borders.

Categories

1. Best Website

2. Best Online Campaign

3. Best Innovation / Use of Technology

4. Best Tourism Industry Blog

5. Best Social Media Application

6. Best Mobile Application

7. Best Canadian Destination Online

8. Most Engaging Story

9. Most Captivating Photo

10. Most Experiential Video

11. Most Inspirational Blog

Winners will be recognized online, in a lavish online ceremony on Facebook and Twitter (@etourismawards).