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UAE back in top 25 global rankings
posted on 11/12/2011: 36 views
The UAE has managed to overcome several obstacles to return to the Top 25 rankings of countries based on brand attributes established by FutureBrand in its 2012 Country Brand Index report.
What makes it even more compelling is that this was achieved in a particularly volatile year for the neighbourhood.
Lana Bdeir, managing director of FutureBrand Middle East and Africa, said: "Given the backdrop of the Arab Spring, the UAE has clearly come out as a secure place to live and work in the Middle East, as well as inspiring confidence in its tourism sector both regionally and internationally.
"While the UAE may have been affected in the past by issues such as the financial crisis, the bounce-back the country has made to the 25 top global country brands is an indicator of its strength."
Volatility destroyed the UK's prospects of remaining in the Top 10, and it fell to the 13th spot. For this the riots in August and a generally weak economy are to be blamed, overshadowing any positive vibes from the Royal Wedding earlier in the year.
Weak UK scores
"Visitor numbers for business and leisure actually increased year-to-date in the three months to August, and overall visitor spending is up four per cent since 2010, but the country has one of its weakest scores in the tourism dimension — particularly in areas like value for money," said the report.
"Perceptions are also weakening in traditional areas of strength for the country with heritage and culture falling five places — a counterintuitive outcome in light of the focus on London's heritage sites during April's festivities."
It seems next year's Olympic Games in London could not have come at a better time to improve the country's standing from a branding perspective.
Canada, in contrast, had an unblemished record, retaining its spot as the leading country brand followed by Switzerland and New Zealand.
Canada kept its top ranking even though it is not the leader in any of the key attributes that determine a country's brand standing.
According to FutureBrand, this proves "consistency is more important than specialty focus".
"But Canada's strength depends on more than just consistency: the nation actively manages its country brand to constantly improve performance," the report said.
But for its neighbour, the US, there was less cause for cheer from the Index. It fell two spots to sixth place.
"The downward trend in brand strength mirrors its troubled socio-political and economic fortunes," said the report.
"However, despite slower than hoped for growth in employment and GDP, the US has shown some improvement in perceptions of being good for business — including regulatory environment, skilled workforce and investment climate — rising four places against 2010."
However, the rankings were completed before the downgrade of the US credit rating to AA+ and the Occupy Wall Street movement that subsequently intensified speculation about the country's long-term stability.
France falls
France also felt the impact of bad news about the economy, falling two places to ninth.
"Both the US and France continue to be among the world's strongest country brands and show great resilience in the face of these challenges," the report added.
"But their decline year after year — together with that of the UK — might hint at an inexorable decline in strength."
Dubai As far as catastrophes go, Japan has had its fair share of them. The March tsunami and earthquake devastated large swathes of the country and led to unprecedented turmoil for the economy.
"Aside from the trauma, loss of life and impact on infrastructure, its initial estimates indicate that the total financial impact of the disaster could exceed US$300 billion (Dh1.1 trillion)," the FutureBrand report said.
Defying odds
But that did not prevent Japan from rising two spots to fourth in the annual global rankings index.
"Perhaps paradoxically, Japan leapt to number one in the tourism dimension and moved up five places in quality of life," said the report.
"While visitor figures dropped significantly between March and August 2011, decline is slowing against numbers for 2010 as we approach the end of the year. Both of these cases — like the Chilean miners' rescue and the Iceland volcanic eruption in 2010 — hint at the positive effect that global news exposure can have on perceptions of a place, regardless of the nature of the news itself.
"But in Japan's case, it could perhaps also be argued that enormous latent goodwill and decades of strong reputation-building provided an underlying resilience that has helped the country's brand survive and even flourish in difficult times." - Gulf News
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