Costa Rica is the best country brand in Latin America

Photo By Mauricio Mora

Costa Rica's bid to distinguish itself for its nature, peaceful atmosphere, its democracy, and its authenticity has positioned its country brand as the best in Latin America.

The Country Brand Index is a report published annually by the British company Future Brand, in which the firm conducts a study to determine the value of the country as a brand.

It considers various aspects such as the value it conveys, the quality of life of its inhabitants, its business environment, its culture, and its natural attributes.

Features like these render each country with advantages and distinguishing features.

The British firm revealed the index on November 12. It is clear that, in 2011, the country improved by three places in the world rankings.Costa Rica’s "No artificial ingredients" reflects the best features in a clear national commitment to prioritize the country's image as a protector of its natural wealth.

"This business logo, launched in late 2009, has helped to promote the country as a favorite ecotourism destination in the region," reads the report.

Costa Rica’s tourism brand is ranked above that of countries such as Brazil, Argentina, and Chile."A strong country brand is more than the sum of its attributes; it must make people's lives better from the progressive policies, to freedom of expression and openness.

It must call people around the world to visit that country, to do business, and make a living there," says the report.Data was obtained through interviews conducted between July and September 2011 with more than 3,500 tourists from over 14 regions of the world, as well as from information provided by experts and organizations.

Respondents were consulted on other issues related to heritage, culture, what it is like to do business, quality of life, and national value systems (tolerance, openness, and civil liberties).

 Costa Rican country brand in the world

Globally, Costa Rica is ranked number 24, out of 113 countries surveyed.

The ranking highlights the progress of Brazil, being the fastest growing country in Latin America.

It went up ten positions in the last year, from 41 to 31.Central America records the country holding the lowest position: El Salvador, which descended from 105 to 109 this year.The first three places in the list were Canada, Switzerland, and New Zealand.

The study has published the country brand results since 2004.

This is the seventh consecutive report submitted by the consultant.Scandinavian countries are part of the top 20 for the first time. The economic crisis moved two powerful countries (U.S. and the UK) to lower positions.

According to the Country Brand Index, the strength of a country brand is determined in the same way as any other brand: by measuring levels of awareness, familiarity, preference, consideration, decision to visit, etc.

These are the qualities that people think of when they hear, read, or see the name of a country.

WORLD TOP 10

The CBI 2011 overall ranking is led by Canada, which holds that position for the second consecutive year.

Canada is followed by Switzerland, New Zealand, Japan, and Australia. United States, the country that once ranked first, has fallen to sixth place due to the impact of the financial crisis.

After the U.S. comes many of the European countries and Singapore.

Costa Rica leads the list of Latin American countries. Brazil moved up 10 positions this year and placed 31st globally. This year, the ranking reflects a great change of global perception about Brazil.

For instance, let us remember when Dilma Rousseff, president of Brazil, gave advice to the European authorities on what to do to end the crisis.

This speaks of a very different perception of the country with beautiful beaches and great debts to the International Monetary Fund (IMF), as it was in the past.

Experts suggest that economic stability, the rise of a new middle class and the future conduct of major sporting events there have improved the perception of the Brazil brand.

Brazil also provides security to its foreign investors and has large companies operating in other markets, such as Vale, Natura and JBS.

With this jump, Brazil surpasses Argentina, which is in the 32 (+1) position, and Chile, at 34 (+6). Last year, Chile had already jumped 19 positions thanks to post-earthquake management and the rescue of the miners.

Further back are Peru in place number 44 (+3), Mexico at 47 (+1) and Uruguay in the 50 (+3) position.

The Dominican Republic reached the spot 55 after a fall of 17 positions. Cuba, Ecuador, Venezuela, and Colombia also went down in the ranking.

Brands with lower qualifications in the region are Bolivia (96), Nicaragua (100 (-2)), Paraguay (106) and El Salvador (109 (-4)).

They combine a very low level of knowledge with some recognizable but negative attributes such as armed conflicts, corruption, and political instability.The countries of the region do much better on the indicators related to cultural heritage and tourism.

Costa Rica is a prized tourist destination. Brazil, for example, is perceived as the 14th best tourist destination in the world. Close behind are Argentina, Chile, and Mexico.

Peru is seen as the fourth-best in the world as to cultural heritage, surpassed only by Italy, France and Israel, and ranks above powers such as Greece and Egypt.

The image of Machu Picchu and the Inca culture is the greatest strength of the South American country, which, by far, has the best perception in this regard of any Latin American country in the CBI 2011.Peru is strong in the sub-indicators of History, Natural Beauty, Art and Culture, and Authenticity.

These are achievements gained through work done years ago, specifically in 2006."As the Peruvian case, most of the countries of the region show disparity in their achievements in the different categories.

Wanting to visit a country is not the same as wanting to do business there, or wanting to live there, "says the report.

Attributes about the quality of life are those that show worse performance by Latin American countries, which are perceived as unsafe, with few job opportunities, mediocre education and health systems, and poor living standards. Chile is the exception, since it has been placed 30 in the world as of quality of life. 

Capitalizing On Our Country Brand

Experts on the subject consulted by The Tamarindo News agree on associating our country brand as a great challenge in terms of competitiveness that we must undertake as a country.Costa Rica, internationally, has earned a special place in the preference of the visitor who wants to learn about our natural beauty.

The quality of life here, our educational agenda, and the reputation that the country has achieved in the democratic camp have made the country earn some more points. However, according to some experts, these aspects are not enough, if they are not accompanied by a national strategy involving all fields and remedying the great evils that makes our country become less competitive.

According to Alejandra Castro, a specialist in Intellectual Property, fortunately "insecurity, poor infrastructure, and excessive formalities that make us increasingly less competitive with other economies have not disrupted the perception of the country as a suitable place to live and do business.

More than a national rejoicing, this result is a challenge for the design of our public policy in the short term."For Castro, the "country brand can give a qualitative difference to the domestic industry.

The country brand could let our industry compete internationally and enhance the productive chain to increase opportunities for all. In a globalized world, the differentiation becomes the key element that could enhance our economy, if accompanied by a national strategy driven by the private sector and the government," she said.

This country-brand differentiation reported by Castro "puts Costa Rica in the spotlight as the target market for quality products and services and lets the country compete with a better advantage with other economies," she said.