Bloom Consulting Country Brand Ranking Tourism 2012 PDF

Development of Countries
Human Asset Management

Business Strategy
Bloom Consulting
Country
Brand
Ranking
Tourism
Edition
Bloom Consulting Since 2003
2012
Country
Brand
Ranking
Business Strategy
Tourism
Edition
2012
Bloom Consulting Country Brand Ranking

An Introduction
The Bloom Consulting Country Brand Ranking is the only country or nation brand ranking
which classifies countries by the effectiveness of their country brand strategies
and its subsequent impact on the countrys GDP.
In order to do so, Bloom Consulting has taken into account variables that define the economic
performance of the countries as well as variables that characterize the strategies accuracy and
market acceptance.
Bloom Consulting has used hard facts, such as economic indicators and an analysis of the official country brand strategies as well as soft data indicators, thereby measuring the economic
impact of each countrys tourism brand strategy. Furthermore, this marks the first time that
Online Search Demand (OSD) has been incorporated into a ranking of this type.
The 2012 Bloom Consulting Country Brand Ranking Tourism accounts for the most comprehensive, objective research done in the field so far. In accordance with the Bloom Consulting 3T
Approach (see page 3), Bloom Consulting creates separate Rankings for Trade and Tourism.
It includes 161 countries and all economic data comes from recognized sources such as the
World Bank, United Nations, and the World Tourism Organization.
countrybranding@bloom-consulting.com / +34 91 308 0286 (CET)
Page 01
Country
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Business Strategy
Tourism
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2012
An introductory note from the CEO

Welcome
For the second consecutive year, I am proud to present to you with the Bloom Consulting
Country Brand Ranking!
Over the last nine years, I have had the privilege of working with Bloom Consulting in country
branding strategies all over the world. From my experience, the most striking fact I found so
far is that most countries, regardless of their economic development, geographic location or even
size, have very similar issues when developing their own country brand strategy. These issues
are very much related with internal concerns, such as accountability or stakeholder management,
and also the tangible measurement of brand strategy investments.
Our objective when launching this ranking was precisely to tackle this issue: how much more
revenue can a country brand attract to its own national economy?
Let me just say how excited I am with the new feature in our algorithm - Online Search
Demand (OSD). For the first time in any country or nation brand ranking, we analyze how
well positioned countries are in the biggest search engines and how searched they are
by tourists in general.
To conclude, I encourage you to use this ranking internally and use it as an asset and a tool
to demonstrate the importance your country brand has on your economy. Although we would
have liked to go deeper and give a detailed description on each countrys performance, its
impossible to do so in this overview. However if you are interested to find out more information
on your country, please do not hesitate to contact us. I would be happy to send you all the information you require.
Welcome to the Bloom Consulting Country Brand Ranking 2012. We hope you appreciate the
great results and findings as much as we did!
Jos Filipe Torres - CEO Bloom Consulting

Page 02
Country
Brand
Ranking
Business Strategy
Tourism
Edition
2012
Introduction to Country Branding

The 3T approach
In creating a country brand strategy we focus on three main areas:

attraction of trade, tourism and talent.
The traditional approach when facing the challenge of attracting trade, tourism and talent
is to create, or simply improve, perceptions under one umbrella strategy. Ultimately this
will fail, as we see over and over again around the world. It is impossible to communicate
entertainment to investors and simultaneously communicate a qualified and hardworking
workforce to potential tourists. They messages repel each other, destroying the core
objective. Most of the time agencies attempt a compromise in order to better create
an overall strategy. As a result, they weaken their brand, as each factor is not branded
up to its potential.
In order to solve the problem of having a single multi-dimensional strategy,
Bloom Consulting has developed a 3T approach to country branding
that separates each T.
T1. Attraction of Trade
T2. Attraction of Tourism
T3. Attraction of Talent
Traditional Umbrella Strategy
T1
T2
GDP
Impact
Bloom Consultings 3T Approach
T3
T2
T1
GDP
Impact
T3
This way, were able to calculate growth projections and calculations individually,
in order to better define the objectives of an overall strategy.
Page 03
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Business Strategy
Tourism
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2012
Understanding the Methodology

The Ranking Variables
The Bloom Consulting Algorithm, was developed to create and calculate the ranking, taking into
account both hard and soft data and includes groundbreaking processes to show the relationship
between a countrys economic performance and the projections of the countrys brand strategy.
The ranking is derived from four variables that take into account both hard and soft data. The
ranking does not use any survey or interview based data, meaning that it provides the most
objective, accurate results possible.
Bloom Consulting Country Brand Ranking Algorithm variables
CBS
Rating
Economic
Growth
Historical
Economic
Performance
Bloom Consulting
Country Brand
Ranking
Page 04
Country
Brand
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Business Strategy
Tourism
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2012
Understanding the Methodology

The Ranking Variables in more detail
Historical Economic Performance

Strategies and economic returns do not have an immediate cause and effect relationship, therefore Bloom Consulting looks at the countrys long term (five years)* historical economic
performance in international tourism receipts. This way, the Ranking reflects more consistent
trends rather than the volatile changes that might occur in the recovering economic climate.
Economic Growth
The growth in international tourism receipts of each country is also an important indicator when
measuring the countrys economic performance, therefore Bloom Consulting computes the
compound annual growth rate for the economic tourism performance. This way, it is possible to
garner how much the industry grew or decreased and the impact it had on the revenue. Again,
data spanning five years was used to reflect consistent trends rather than brief volatile changes.
Bloom Consulting Country Brand Strategy (CBS) Rating
Bloom Consulting also rates the impact of each countrys branding strategy. The CBS Rating
takes into account the uniqueness of each countrys current brand strategy (Brand Tags) and the
accuracy of the Online Search Demand. A brand strategy that is more unique and more aligned
with tourist searches will receive a better Rating.
UNWTO covering the years 2006-2010.
Page 05
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Measuring Country Brand Strategy Accuracy

The CBS Rating
CBS Rating is calculated using brand strategy economic performance analysis and analysis of
Online Search Demand. The country brand strategy is measured through brand tags, the key
words that reflect the brand strategy of each country. For the first time in any country or nation
brand ranking, Blooms Online Search Demand (OSD) is able to show if a country supplies what
tourists are seeking, and how well the country is matching this demand.
Brand tags function as the supply side of the tourist-destination equation. Thousands of brand
tags were collected from each countrys official tourism agency and then classified into 38
different clusters that relate to adventure sports and activities, natural features, beaches, local
culture and traditions, or gastronomy. Each cluster is assigned an economic value in order to rate
the relative returns gained from each brand tag.
Domestic and international tourist searches for the brand tags and related words were then
analyzed, country by country, in the most used search engines, to show the countrys accuracy
match and quantify Online Search Demand. By considering the OSD, Bloom Consulting is able
to show if a country offers what tourists are seeking, and how well the country is matching this
demand. This identifies the gap between supply and demand. The more accurate a country is, the
better the CBS Rating .
Just as international rating agencies rank countries credit risk, Bloom Consulting
uses the CBS Rating Classification System
Score
Description
AAA
AA
A
BBB
BB
B
CCC
CC
C
D
Very Strong
Strong
Slightly Strong
Very Good
Good
Slightly Good
Slightly Weak
Weak
Very Weak
Poor
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Country
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2012

2012 TOURISM EDITION - WORLD Ranking
Rank
CBS Rating
1.
United States of America
2.
Spain
AAA
3.
France
AA
4.
China
5.
Turkey
AAA
6.
Thailand
AAA
7.
Germany
BBB
8.
Macao
AAA
9.
United Kingdom
BBB
10.
Australia
BBB
AA
Due to the historical brand equity and the fact that both have strong country brand strategies China, Hong Kong and Macao have been considered as separate countries in this ranking.
Page 07
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Rank
2012
CBS Rating
11.
Austria
AA
12.
Italy
BB
13.
Hong Kong
14.
Malaysia
15.
Netherlands
BBB
16.
Mexico
AAA
17.
Switzerland
18.
Canada
BBB
19.
Croatia
AAA
20.
Russian Federation
21.
Portugal
22.
Singapore
23.
India
24.
Greece
BBB
25.
Republic of Korea
BBB
26.
Belgium
27.
Morocco
AAA
28.
Japan
29.
United Arab Emirates
30.
Sweden
BB
31.
Egypt
BB
32.
Ireland
33.
South Africa
34.
Poland
35.
Hungary
BB
AAA
BBB
BB
AAA
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Rank
2012
CBS Rating
36.
Czech Republic
37.
Indonesia
38.
Saudi Arabia
CCC
39.
Finland
AAA
40.
Argentina
AA
41.
Lebanon
CCC
42.
Denmark
43.
Norway
AA
44.
New Zealand
45.
Philippines
AAA
46.
Slovenia
AAA
47.
Brazil
48.
Slovakia
AAA
49.
Dominican Republic
BBB
50.
Ukraine
51.
Israel
CCC
52.
Peru
53.
Bulgaria
BB
54.
Chile
55.
Malta
AAA
56.
Estonia
AAA
57.
Cyprus
58.
Luxembourg
59.
Romania
60.
Jordan
CCC
A
CCC
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Business Strategy
Tourism
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Rank
2012
CBS Rating
61.
Kenya
AAA
62.
Lithuania
AAA
63.
Guatemala
64.
United Republic of Tanzania
65.
Ethiopia
66.
Viet Nam
CC
67.
Uruguay
BBB
68.
Mauritius
69.
Colombia
70.
Albania
71.
Iran
72.
Costa Rica
73.
Tunisia
CCC
74.
Panama
CCC
75.
Cambodia
BBB
76.
Sri Lanka
AAA
77.
Serbia
78.
Bahrain
79.
Bahamas
80.
Barbados
BB
81.
Maldives
AAA
82.
Cuba
CC
83.
Ecuador
AA
84.
Jamaica
CCC
85.
Kazakhstan
CCC
BB
B
BB
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Business Strategy
Tourism
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Rank
2012
CBS Rating
86.
Iceland
AAA
87.
Latvia
BB
88.
Oman
89.
Pakistan
CC
90.
Venezuela
BB
91.
Bosnia and Herzegovina
BB
92.
Uganda
93.
Georgia
94.
Nepal
AAA
95.
Ghana
CCC
96.
El Salvador
97.
Fiji
98.
Botswana
AAA
99.
Belarus
BBB
100.
Namibia
AA
101.
Armenia
AAA
102.
Montenegro
CCC
103.
Nigeria
CCC
104.
Honduras
105.
Trinidad and Tobago
106.
Zimbabwe
107.
Kuwait
108.
Mongolia
AA
109.
Seychelles
110.
Saint Lucia
B
BB
BB
CCC
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Business Strategy
Tourism
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Rank
2012
CBS Rating
111.
Kyrgyzstan
CCC
112.
Azerbaijan
CC
113.
Senegal
114.
Belize
BBB
115.
Macedonia
BBB
116.
Yemen
117.
Angola
118.
Rwanda
BB
119.
Antigua and Barbuda
120.
Madagascar
CCC
121.
Algeria
CCC
122.
Republic of Moldova
123.
Laos People Democratic Republic
124.
Brunei Darussalam
125.
Saint Kits and Nevis
AA
126.
Zambia
127.
Mozambique
128.
Bolivia
129.
Nicaragua
130.
Grenada
131.
Cape Verde
132.
Sudan
133.
Samoa
134.
Guyana
BBB
135.
Cameroon
B
CC
BBB
B
CCC
CC
BBB
CC
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Country
Brand
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Business Strategy
Tourism
Edition
Rank
2012
CBS Rating
136.
Paraguay
137.
Solomon Islands
138.
Dominica
BB
139.
Myanmar
140.
Togo
141.
Suriname
142.
Burkina Faso
CCC
143.
Lesotho
BBB
144.
Bhutan
145.
Gambia
146.
Cte dIvoire
147.
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
148.
Bangladesh
149.
Timor-Leste
150.
Sierra Leone
151.
Comoros
CCC
152.
Tajikistan
CCC
153.
Swaziland
CC
154.
Federated States of Micronesia
155.
So Tom and Principe
156.
Djibouti
157.
Tonga
158.
Kiribati
159.
Papua New Guinea
160.
Burundi
161.
Marshall Islands
D
BBB
CCC
B
CC
CCC
D
BBB
B
CC
D
Page 13
Country
Brand
Ranking
Business Strategy
Tourism
Edition
2012

Comments
The United States continued its number one reign in the 2012 Bloom Consulting Country Brand
Ranking Tourism. The AA Rating indicates that the US tourism brand is very accurate when
considering tourism demand, and has a strong positive impact on its tourism industry. Although
the US saw a decline in tourism receipts from the previous year, the strong overall performance
and excellent CBS Rating ensured their continued supremacy.
The remaining top countries include other strong economic

performers such as several powerhouse European countries,
the upcoming BRIC countries and Asian economic hubs.
Asia in particular performed extremely well in the 2012
Ranking. Eight Asian countries finished in the top 25,
with China as number four. Aided by both strong tourism
receipts and CBS Ratings , Thailand (6) and Malaysia
(14) significantly improved from last year. For the first
time, Macao was evaluated as an individual country and
finished with a bang at number eight. A notable absence
was Japan. With a BB rating that could not counteract
the residual effects of the tsunami, Japan suffered
a three spot drop to number twenty-eight.
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Country
Brand
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Business Strategy
Tourism
Edition
2012

Comments, Continued
Though European countries, especially Germany, the UK and Italy, have slipped in the Ranking
since last year, twelve European countries remained in the top 25. The continued prominence
despite decreased tourism receipts indicates that strong CBS Ratings can help weather the
lingering economic stress in Europe.
Interestingly, Africa had some surprising developments,

especially in light of the recent political developments.
Although none finished in the top 25, the top 50 was filled
with noticeable improvements from last year. Morocco (27)
and United Arab Emirates (29) led the way with a respective 3 and amazing 16 jump up in the ranking powered by
AAA ratings.
Decreased tourism opportunities were visible in several performances. Egypt (31) noticeably
suffered from the downturn in the industry, while Saudi Arabia also dropped. Notably, the study
established several African countries making slow but steady improvements, with Kenya, Tanzania and Ethiopia as countries to watch. This indicates both shifting tourist interests and the
general economic potential for the continent.
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Country
Brand
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Business Strategy
Tourism
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2012
Classification, References and Sources

Additional information about the study
Bloom Consulting divided the world into eleven geographic sectors and the four economic
development stages in order to maintain the singularity of the region and compare countries
in a regional context.
Bloom Consulting Geographic Regions
1. Central and Southern Asia
2. Europe
3. Northern Africa
4. Oceania
5. Central and Middle Africa
6. Central America and Caribbean
7. South America
8. Middle East
9. Western and Southern Africa
10. Northern America
11. Eastern and South-Eastern Asia
The four World Bank Income levels
12. Low Income
13. Lower Middle Income
14. Upper Middle Income
15. High Income (Includes both OECD and non-OECD)
Further sources for countries income level classifications and geographic regions:
The World Bank http://www.worldbank.org/
The World Tourism Organization http://www2.unwto.org/en
The United Nations http://www.un.org/en/
Page 16
Country
Brand
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Business Strategy
Tourism
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2012

FAQs
1) Who is this Ranking meant for?

Bloom Consulting Country Brand Ranking is for anyone interested in place branding
from every perspective, whether youre in government, academia, industry, finance,
or just find it interesting.
2) Why did Bloom Consulting create a Ranking?
Bloom Consulting created the Ranking to evaluate the impact of a countrys brand strategy in
economic terms and, above all, to answer the ever relevant question of how countries can
become more attractive.
3) How does Bloom Consultings Ranking differ from other rankings?
Bloom Consultings Ranking uses variables and methodology to generate a ranking far ahead
of the field in terms of objectivity and innovation. Not only does Bloom Consulting base its
research on objective hard and soft facts, rather than using survey based data like other rankings,
it is also the first ranking to take tourist demand into account.
4) What is new in the 2012 edition of the Ranking?
The 2012 edition of the Ranking features the inclusion of Tourist Online Search Demand (OSD)
in the Bloom Algorithm. By analysing consumer behaviour and the effectiveness of country
brand strategies, the newest Ranking raises the bar by giving a pioneering view of the global
tourism industry from a supply and demand angle.
5) How can a state have a poor CBS Rating , but do well in the Ranking?
If a country has a negative CBS Rating , its brand strategy is not actively reflecting what the
country has to offer (in the eyes of tourist-demand). Even though its economic performance
might still be strong, the tourism strategy is not taking advantage of the countrys unique selling
propositions.
Page 17
Country
Brand
Ranking
Business Strategy
Tourism
Edition
2012
Bloom Consulting
About
Bloom Consulting is a strategy consulting firm specialized in country branding.

Jos Filipe Torres founded Bloom Consulting in 2003 and is a regular spokesperson at conferences and universities worldwide. Both The Economist and Forbes have interviewed Mr Torres,
where he was identified as one of the top 3 country branding experts in the world.
Currently Bloom Consulting has offices in So Paulo, Mumbai, Lisbon, Madrid (headquarters)
and Los Angeles, as well as research centres in Tokyo and London. Bloom Consulting works
closely with presidents, monarchs, ministers and institutions in order to define their strategy,
establish their vision, and implement it. Blooms clients include the Bulgarian, Latvian, Polish,
Portuguese and Spanish governments, and also regions such as Madrid, Castilla y Leon in Spain,
and center and the southwest regions of Portugal.
Bloom Consulting has developed the 3T approach that separates Trade, Tourism, and Talent
strategies into three different Country Branding Strategies.
One fundamental point of all of Bloom Consultings projects is the CAMPRO methodology .
This methodology is a combination of academic and professional knowledge under Bloom
Consultings management and control, key to obtaining the most accurate recommendations
and insights for all clients.
Moreover Bloom Consulting has published the:
Bloom Consulting US State Brand Ranking 2012
and is currently developing the:
Bloom Consulting India State Brand Ranking 2013
Additional Information
While this report provides a general overview, the information presented here is but
a glimpse of the findings we have at your disposal. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you
would like a personalized and detailed version of the Bloom Consulting Country Branding
Ranking Report for your country, region or city.
For more information, please visit:
www.bloom-consulting.com/en/country-brands-ranking
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Development of Countries

Human Asset Management

Bloom Consulting Since 2003