Famous for its authentic culture, spectacular beaches and noteworthy nightlife, Thailand is also one of the most affordable destinations in the world.
Source: FutureBrand Index 2008

FutureBrand, a leading brand consultancy that commands a global presence spanning 20 offices in 16 countries, introduced the Country Brand Index (CBI) for the first time in 2005. The 2008 Country Brand Index was officially released on 11 November 2008 at London’s World Travel Market, the premier annual exhibition of the global travel trade.

CBI, now in its fourth year, is a comprehensive study of approximately 2,700 international business and leisure travellers from nine countries conducted by FutureBrand, in conjunction with public relations firm Weber Shandwick’s Global Travel & Lifestyle Practice. This year’s index includes rankings and trends as well as travel motivations, challenges and opportunities within the worlds of travel, tourism and country branding.

The CBI examines how countries are branded and ranked according to key criteria, and identifies emerging global trends in the world’s fastest growing economic sector — travel and tourism, which accounts for US$5.9 trillion of economic activity worldwide this year and more than 238 million jobs.

Thailand ranks among the Top-5 in the following best country brand categories:

• Value for Money
  Offering the most in return for the price you pay
  Thailand was  ‘Best Country Brand for Value for Money’.
  
  
• Authenticity
  Delivering distinctive, genuine and unique cultures and experiences
  In the 2008 FutureBrand Index, Thailand ranks third in this category, up from its fifth place ranking in 2007.
  
  
• Friendly Locals
  Welcoming citizens who make visitors feel comfortable
  Thailand moves up from fifth place in 2007 to third in 2008.
  
  
• Nightlife
  Noteworthy bar, nightclub and late-night scene
  Thailand has ranked fourth in the Best Country Brand for Nightlife since 2005.
  
  
• Shopping
  Accessible, diverse and abundant retail choices
  In 2008, Thailand moves up five notches to 4th position.

In 2008, Thailand ranked 10th in two categories — Extend a Business Trip (defined as where travelers want to extend business travel into personal vacation) and Desire to Visit/Visit Again (defined as the country travelers would most like to visit/return to).

Countries are ranked across 30 distinct categories providing a rich perspective on strengths, weaknesses and opportunities.

The awards aim at giving credit to the creativity of a country in building its own brand. This process not only needs good planning but also strong marketing efforts and time to achieve its goal.

FutureBrand has developed a three-tiered evaluation system for ranking country brands. This Index incorporates global quantitative research, expert opinions, and references relevant statistics that link brand equity to assets, growth and expansion. The result is a unique evaluation system that provides the basis of our rankings. Almost 2,700 respondents from nine countries including the US, UK, China, Australia, Japan, Brazil, UAE, Germany and Russia participated in a travel survey.

According to FutureBrand, the rankings speak to qualities that compel consideration and assets that shape country reputations, perceptions and experiences. New categories to this year's rankings include best country brand for "Standard of Living," "Political Freedom" and "Advanced Technology."

METHODOLOGY
Three primary components inform the Country Brand Index. First is a global quantitative survey of almost 2,700 travel respondents from nine countries. This sample has a margin of error of ±1.9% at the 95% confidence level. Participants were screened to include frequent international leisure and business travelers (who travel internationally at least once a year) between the ages of 21 and 65, with a balanced split between men and women. Topics included destination selection, country associations, overall awareness, past visits, intent to visit and willingness to recommend countries. Survey results were aggregated and weighted in proportion to each region’s respective volume of travel consumption.

The Top 10 Country Brand ranking was based on a combination of familiarity, overall rating of the country, desire to visit, advocacy and performance against country brand image attributes, weighted based on relative importance. The second component is a global expert survey of more than 30 international hospitality professionals in one-on-one interviews and/or surveys regarding their perceptions of countries as brands. Experts were recruited from multiple regions to ensure a diverse and representative sample.

The third component is secondary research. A variety of relevant statistics and secondary sources have been referenced to complement the quantitative and expert surveys; for the complete listing of these, please refer to Sources.

Source: FutureBrand.com

About Weber Shandwick
Weber Shandwick is a leading global public relations agency with offices in over 79 markets around the world. The firm’s reputation is built on its deep commitment to client service, creativity, collaboration and harnessing the power of Advocates — engaging stakeholders in new and creative ways to build brands and reputation. Weber Shandwick provides strategy and execution across world-class practices such as consumer marketing, healthcare, technology, public affairs, corporate/financial and crisis management. Its specialized services include digital/social media, advertising, market research, and corporate responsibility. Weber Shandwick received the highest client-satisfaction honors in the 2007 Agency Excellence Survey by PRWeek U.S. and in 2008, was named Large PR Firm of the Year (PR News U.S.), European Consultancy of the Year (The Holmes Report) and Network of the Year (Asia Pacific PR Awards). The firm also won the United Nations Grand Award for Outstanding Achievement in Public Relations for the past three years. Weber Shandwick is part of the Interpublic Group (NYSE: IPG). For more information, visit www.webershandwick.com.

About FutureBrand
FutureBrand part of the Interpublic Group of Companies, Inc. (NYSE: IPG), is a leading brand consultancy within IPG that commands a global presence spanning 20 offices in 16 countries. Partnering with the world’s leading companies, FutureBrand helps its clients to develop profitable brands both today and into the future. Offering a full range of services from consumer branding and corporate identity, to brand identity, packaging design and beyond, FutureBrand works with clients to measure and increase brand value, define breakthrough brand strategies and create powerful brand experiences. Clients include ArcelorMittal, P&G, Microsoft, Nakheel, Intel, Barclays Premier, Nokia, Nestlé, MasterCard, UPS, and Unilever. For more information visit www.futurebrand.com.

For more information on the Country Brand Index, please visit www.futurebrand.com
http://www.countrybrandindex.com/press-release/