Countries as Brands? The Hottest Destinations

If you’ve never thought of countries as brands before, seems others have. The 2008 Country Brand Index (CBI) (Web site: www.countrybrandindex.com) has debuted at London’s World Travel Market, and the Australians are happy with the outcome. The land Down Under came out on top.

The CBI studies some 2,700 international leisure and business travelers, asking them for their input. Here’s the list of the Top Ten favorite countries:

1. Australia
2. Canada
3. United States

4. Italy
5. Switzerland
6. France
7. New Zealand
8. United Kingdom
9. Japan
10. Sweden

Among the planet’s “rising stars” are China, the United Arab Emirates, and Croatia.

As for interesting insights from this year’s CBI, consider:

- Women are traveling more frequently without men;

- Specialty and niche travel continues to be hot;

- Affluent retirees in the United States, Canada and Japan are traveling more and they’re often taking their grandchildren with them;

- People are seeking out places, and species, that are at-risk environmentally;

- Folks are taking more spontaneous trips, and they’re shorter;

- Religious tourism is ascendant. The Vatican’s first airline for Catholic pilgrims is a case in point.

© Cheapflights Ltd Jerry Chandler