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It’s official – Australia is the world’s dream destinationSYDNEY, Australia (26 July, 2006) – Australia has been chosen as the world’s number one tourist destination according to the latest Anholt Nation Brands Index (NBI), created by international government advisor Simon Anholt and powered by GMI (Global Market Insite, Inc.), a provider of global market intelligence solutions. In a worldwide survey, 25,903 consumers were asked which country they would like to visit if money were no object; Australia was the number one destination. In fact, many people favoured Australia as the place to live and work if they had to spend a substantial time away from home. Interestingly, Australia came in second, under New Zealand, for being a country rich in natural beauty, but ranked 31st for a country rich in cultural heritage, just above New Zealand, Canada, Singapore, Estonia and the United States. Australians are also seen as one of the friendliest nations in the world (ranked second place behind Canada). Although many of those surveyed did not know many Aussies, they still believed Australians to be ‘fun’, ‘honest’, ‘hard-working’ and ‘trustworthy’. The previous Anholt Nation Brands Index (February 2006) also proved the archetypal Australian remained true and placed Australians in second place, behind Canada, as a one of the friendliest nations. The Anholt Nation Brands Index is an in-depth analytical ranking of the world’s nation brands. The poll, taken each quarter in 35 developed and developing countries, measures the power and appeal of a nation’s brand image, and identifies how consumers around the world see the character and personality of the country. NBI creator Simon Anholt was not surprised that Australia is known for its people: “Australians are very ambitious, have travelled the world and taken their positive and outgoing attitudes with them. Despite many of those surveyed never stepping foot on Australian soil, the majority seem to have built a stereotype of Australia and its people in their minds from films, book and adverts, including the recent ‘Where the bloody hell are you?’ campaign. They have a painted picture of the country in their mind – a fascinating, exciting place to visit.” In addition, Tim Harcourt, chief economist at Austrade, believes, “From Crocodile Dundee in the 1980s to the Crocodile Hunter today, Australia has always had a strong presence around the world thanks to many celebrity exports. Think of Paul Hogan, Kylie Minogue, Russell Crowe, Steve Irwin, Geoffrey Rush, or Nicole Kidman. Some countries are even envious of our brand - many of my Austrian counterparts tell me they wished Austria had as much of an international presence as Australia.” “However, that is all consumers really know about Australia. Despite being the sixth largest country in the world, the country’s brand is stagnant and a fairly small player on the world stage. Australia cannot rest its laurels simply on an image of a friendly nation. Consumers need to be educated about Australia’s unique assets, especially on its Aboriginal heritage and potential investment opportunities,” Simon Anholt continued. In the survey, consumers were asked to rank countries according to the following statements:
Notes to Editors: For more information, go to: About the Anholt Nation Brands Index About Simon Anholt Anholt developed the concept of the Nation Brands Index in 2005. The first Index was published in May 2005. He is recognized as one of the world’s leading authorities on the branding of countries, regions and cities. Anholt advises a number of national governments and United Nations agencies on brand strategy, public diplomacy, cultural relations, investment and export promotion, tourism and economic development. He is the editor of the quarterly journal, Place Branding and Public Diplomacy, and the author of Brand New Justice, Brand America and several other books. About GMI GMI (Global Market Insite, Inc.) is the only company that provides comprehensive integrated solutions for global market intelligence for both market research firms and corporate market research departments at Global 2000 companies. Solutions include Net-MR, a suite of software tools to manage and automate research throughout the project lifecycle, desktop analysis tools, 24/7 service bureau capabilities, and one of the world’s largest, highly profiled, double opt-in managed panels, spanning across 200 countries. In addition, GMI offers high-value, real-time enterprise feedback solutions for customer, partner and employee programs. Founded in 1999 with world headquarters in Seattle, Wash., GMI has operations on five continents. More information is available at www.gmi-mr.com or email us at http://www.gmi-mr.com/contact/. For further information and a copy of the report, contact:
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