Nov. 18 – The fifth annual Country Brand Index (CBI) conducted by leading brand consultancy company FutureBrand has ranked India as the best country brand for value for money followed by Mexico, Thailand, Vietnam and Bulgaria.

The survey tallied the opinions of around 3,000 international business and leisure travelers from nine countries regarding  102 country brands. Countries were ranked as brands following a broad range of categories including Authenticity, History, Art & Culture, Resort & Lodging Options, Ease of Travel, Safety, Rest & Relaxation, and Natural Beauty to name a few.

Selected participants were screened to include frequent international travelers between the ages of 21 and 65, with a balanced split between men and women. The perceptions of the country brands were also quantified through questions about behavior around destination selection; country associations across an array of 29 image attributes; and overall awareness, familiarity, past visits, intent to visit, and willingness to recommend destinations to others.

The United States placed first in overall country brand ranking from third spot just a year ago.  The survey was done in partnership with public relations firm Weber Shandwick’s Global Travel & Lifestyle Practice. Last year, India also figured in the Top 5 list in terms of Authenticity, History, and Art & Culture besides making it to the list of  rising stars or countries that are likely to become major tourist destinations in the next five years. This year’s rising stars was led by the United Arab Emirates, China, and Vietnam followed by Croatia, South Africa, and India. The top ten countries overall were:

United States
Canada
Australia
New Zealand
France
Italy
Japan
United Kingdom
Germany
Spain