Canada Ranked No. 1 Country Brand in the World
Tuesday 9, November 2010
In just four short years, Canada has become the most respected country brand in the world. It bumped the US from the top spot as it leveraged the 2010 Winter Games to extend the global reach of its tourism brand.
The ranking comes from the Country Brand Index by FutureBrand, a New York-based global brand consultancy. Michele McKenzie, President and CEO of the Canadian Tourism Commission (CTC) will be present at a presentation on November 11th in London, England at the 31st annual World Travel Market (WTM), one of the world’s largest travel, trade and media showcases.
A country’s brand strength is a nation’s ultimate intangible asset and goes beyond its geographical size, financial performance or levels of awareness. Managed properly across every measure, according to FutureBrand, it can be a lasting vehicle for goodwill, encouraging forgiveness in difficult times and disproportionately boosting the value of exports, from people to product and entire corporations.
After launching the new tourism brand—“Canada. Keep Exploring”—six years ago, Canada leapfrogged from twelfth place in 2006 to sixth place in 2007, and jumped again to second place for the first time in 2008, a position it held again in 2009. This year, the United States ceded the coveted premier spot to Canada. Amid this jostling, Canada’s tourism brand has emerged powerful, engaging and vibrant in an intensely competitive international tourism marketplace.
Ms. McKenzie said, “ Several years ago, CTC set out to refresh Canada’s tourism brand in anticipation of being on the world stage in 2010. We believed that with the right strategy , a legacy of the Games could be more interest in Canada as a travel desitination, and ultimately more visitors.”
The CTC and its partners seized the once-in-a-generation opportunity provided by the Games to showcase Canada’s tourism brand internationally. It placed stunning video shot from coast to coast to coast directly into the hands of broadcasters from all the countries in which the CTC markets. Initial results of CTC’s marketing campaigns conducted before, during and after the Games indicate that the number of trips booked has increased over 2009 as a result of the awareness created as a top ranked travel destination.
Mr. Rupert Peters, Managing Director, CTC UK added: “ We are thrilled to be recognized as a top country. While visitors have always known Canada delivers on it’s promise of amazing experiences , the time is now for holiday makers to discover Canada for themselves”
The CTC’s Olympic strategy which runs to the end of 2012 was funded by a $26 million federal investment.
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