Destination brand rankings as defined by Futurebrand's 2007 Country Brand Index were announced at the World Travel Market this week.  The index is based on surveys of some 2,600 international travelers and ranks countries on a number of criteria.

Canada was in the top 10 overall brands (6th place) and was ranked in the top five in a number of categories including:

• Easiest to do business in (3rd)
  
• Best for families (2nd)
• Resort/Lodging options (5th)
• Natural beauty (4th)
• Outdoor sports/physical activities (3rd)
• Friendly local people (2nd) - despite what you may have read in the Lonely Planet survey
• Safety (2nd)

The only ranking in which Canada claimed first place was "country brand you would most like to live in other than your own."

And therein lies the problem.

If the vast majority of the world would be more than happy to load up the truck and move to the Great White North, you would expect a good chunk of them to also want to drop by for a week or two on vacation.  If for no other reason than to do a bit of house-hunting.

And yet Canada's share of the international travel market has been in decline for some time now.

It's further proof of an idea that has been floating around in the industry for a long time, but which has been largely ignored by tourism marketing organizations: consumers' motivations to travel aren't created by destinations -- they're created by the lives consumers live at home.

At "home", you want to be safe, surrounded by friendly people, provide a good home to raise your family, get a bit of exercise and succeed at your career (all of which Canada is perceived to provide in spades).  On the road... not so much.  Most (though not all) people travel internationally to experience something different from their day to day lives at home.  Different cultures, a more exotic nightlife, a rich history, etc.

The qualities that lead people to believe a country is a great place to live don't always translate to it being perceived as a great place to visit.  And conversely, great places to visit aren't necessarily the places people aspire to live in.  None of the countries that made the top five list for "art and culture" (Italy, France, Egypt, India and the UK) made the top five list for best places to live.  Nor did any of the top five countries for Nightlife, History or Value for Money.

The temptation for tourism marketing organizations is to focus on aspects of arts, culture, nightlife and history in an attempt to say "me too - I've got those things you go to other places to experience".  But the real challenge to tourism marketers is to build on the qualities that make their country a great place to live (i.e. build on your perceived strengths), and translate them into a compelling reason to believe that the arts, history, culture and nightlife of your destination will be somehow different, better and special compared to that offered by the perceived market leaders.