The survey, published by the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) and European Travel Commission (ETC) asked 165 National Tourism Organisations (NTOs) what countries they considered to be good at destination branding.
New Zealand received the most nominations, ranking the country as 'best' at destination branding – ahead of India, Spain, Australia, Dubai and Ireland.
Tourism New Zealand Chief Executive George Hickton said that, coming in the same year as the 10th anniversary of 100% Pure New Zealand, the survey was a fantastic reinforcement of the effort and perseverance that has gone into building the brand.
Survey respondents cited the consistency and credibility of 100% Pure New Zealand. They said the strong imagery of the campaign, the instantly recognisable brand and the strong positioning statement ("100% Pure") set New Zealand ahead of other destinations.
Respondents praised New Zealand for addressing the country's isolated location "at the edge of the world" and turning that into a positive.
They also considered the brand as successful in "going beyond tourism" to pull-together a number of different sectors under a unified country proposition.
George Hickton said the result recognised the efforts of the tourism industry over the past 10 years in supporting the campaign and delivering on the promises made through '100% Pure New Zealand'.
"A successful brand like 100% Pure is more than just a logo and advertising. The efforts of the tourism industry to deliver quality, innovative products and to reflect the values of the brand in their own work has been critical to its success."
The survey was part of a wider study on what NTOs perceive is important in destination branding, their current branding practices and willingness to share.
The results were published in the recently release ETC/UNWTO Handbook on Tourism Destination Branding.
www.tourismnewzealand.com
Find out more about 10 Years of 100% Pure New Zealand:
http://10yearsyoung.tourismnewzealand.com/
