You like us, you really like us

[Scooter]

It says so in the Daily Mail, so it must be true:

Canada named world's most well-respected country by holidaymakers... but the UK and US fail to crack the top 10

Not only is it the land of maple syrup and ice hockey, but Canada can now lay claim to being the most respected country in the world.

This is the fourth time in the past five years that the country has claimed top honours, after slipping to second place behind Switzerland last year.

A recent poll has found that many foreigners consider Canada to have an effective government, a high level of development and the best quality of life over any country in the world.

The data was collected by the Reputation Institute's 2015 Country Reptrak Survey, which examines how countries are perceived across the globe.

Ranked by an online panel of more than 48,000 people representing G8 countries, 55 nations are ranked according to 16 attributes.

These include categories such as technology, use of public resources, social and economic policies, institutional environment and international perception.

While Canada ranked first, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and Australia rounded out the top five.

Interestingly, the UK was nowhere to be found among the top 10, coming in at No 13.

Ireland just missed out on a spot in the top 10, finishing in 11th place.

The United States, on the other and, failed to crack the top 20, though its reputation has seemed to stabilise under the Obama administration.

Unsurprisingly, Russia's reputation shows a negative trend, damaged by the Ukrainian crisis and Crimea's annexation.

According to the report, a country's overall reputation is 'an emotional perception constructed through direct experience, own communication, third parties' perspectives and generally accepted stereotypes.'

Reputation is important, as it impacts not only the likelihood of tourists visiting the country, but also the supportive behaviours of stakeholders in improving a country's economy through things like foreign direct investment.

That's all to say that a nation's reputation tends to correspond less with its size or power and, perhaps unsurprisingly, more with the overall happiness of its citizens.

[BoSoxGal]

[TPFKA@W]

index.jpg (8.79 KiB) Viewed 1080 times

It's easier to trip kids there since they are so trusting.

[MajGenl.Meade]

Goes to show... of the top five named, I'd only consider Australia for a real holiday. What on earth have the qualities of government, development and life got to do with taking a vacation and what kind of dweebs answered this "survey"? For goodness' sake, going to Canada is like visiting a well appointed basement in your own home. It's good to have it there but sunshine is nicer.

As long as one feels relatively secure (thank you Da'esh), then history, architecture, adventure, entertainment, culinary excitement, beaches, wildlife and so many other "holiday" factors are the key guides.

According to Trip Advisor, people who actually travelled in 2014 and bothered to make notes think it's more like this:
1. Morocco
2. Cambodia
3. Turkey (scratch)
4. Vietnam
5. Czech Republic
etc.

And in 2014 (numbers don't lie) the most visited destinations were:
1 France 83.7 million
2 United States 74.8 million
3 Spain 65.0 million
4 China 55.6 million
5 Italy 48.6 million
6 Turkey 39.8 million
7 Germany 33.0 million
8 United Kingdom 32.6 million
9 Russia 29.8 million
10 Mexico (29.1 million)*

...... Canada had 16.5 million visitors, a whopping 2.9% increase over 2013

*this number of rapists and criminals left the country and moved illegally to USA per www.trumpedupdata.con

[dgs49]

Yeah, the only real tests of whether a country is a good vacation destination is how many people go there, and how much money they spend. Any survey that rates Canada at the top for vacations is seriously flawed.

Still, I've had several great vacations in the Frozen North, with a few more places there remaining on my list.

[Scooter]

It isn't a measure of where people would like to take a vacation. Reading comprehension much?

[MajGenl.Meade]

Canada named world's most well-respected country by holidaymakers.... Reputation is important, as it impacts not only the likelihood of tourists visiting the country

Nothing to do with where people actually go then?

Interesting note: the global office list on the company website shows only New York and Boston in North America. But there's a red dot on their map about where Toronto would be as well.

Maybe they're ashamed of it?

[BoSoxGal]

I don't think I could ever tire of long weekend visits to Quebec City, it's a lovely place. I love the maritimes and would love to visit there, have only been so far into Canada on that end as Campobello Island. I really want to travel to the Anne of Green Gables settings and those amazing beaches with the incredible tides.

Canada's lovely. And we haven't even talked about the west coast.

[Sue U]

I've been to Canada on vacations quite a number of times over the years, most recently this past summer on a belated honeymoon trip to Niagara Falls (where I hadn't been since I was a kid). There was so much to see and do in the Niagara Peninsula that we didn't even have time to get around the lake to Toronto. Vancouver is, in my opinion, the most beautiful city in North America. Montreal and Quebec are terrific for arts and culture. Nova Scotia and PEI are charming. I admit I have little interest in seeing Manitoba, Saskatchewan or Alberta generally, although I would like to see Banff and some of the Canadian Rockies. Nice little country you got there.

[Guinevere]

I need some Montreal time. Hmmmmmmm. Thinking.

[kristina]

The best ever road trip that the Spousal Unit and I took was a month in British Columbia. We even thought of trying to emigrate. I'm not sure how well I'd do with the winters, however. I've become a bit of a lightweight after all these years in CA.

[rubato]

Visiting Canada is like visiting your uptight midwest relatives. They're like grown up muppets, just too innately sweet to be believed.

Canada: "Come for the politeness, stay for the tar sands!"


We're going back to France.

France: "Come for the wine, stay for the cheese!"


yrs,
rubato


PS Just kidding, I LOVE Canada, they have the politest police in the world. In Calif. if you pull over to catch a few hours sleep on a long car trip the CHP will roust you, threaten you with arrest, and make you drive on. In Canada they tiptoe up to your car (where you are sleeping) carefully shield their flashlight while they check your registration (taped in the window) and tiptoe away so as not to wake you up. Really lovely people. Be fun to play poker with people like that.

[oldr_n_wsr]

Canada has THE best snowmobiling, hands down.

And Toronto is the cleanest city I have ever been to, even cleaner than the OC Germans and their clean cities.

[MajGenl.Meade]

No one's saying Canada isn't a nice place. 19 million+ tourists agree. Just that it's far from being the number 1 holiday destination spot in the world. Scooter McPooter seems to think his OP has nothing to do with holidays or tourism although of course that was exactly the point. Given a choice of "Which country has the better standard of living? Canada or Spain - I'd probably pick Canada too (USA-lite). But I'd rather have a couple of weeks in Spain, thank you very much. And 'Clean'? Not been on Yonge lately, eh? (joke)

[Long Run]

The way I read the story, Canada is rated as the most admired country in the world by "holidaymakers". This does not mean that Canada is the number one tourist destination, just that people on vacation think highly of our friendly friends to the north. Forbes broke it down a bit, and it appears this is based on a survey of online shoppers. http://www.forbes.com/sites/susanadams/ ... es-2015/2/
So I am not sure why the Daily Mail used the term "holidaymaker", though one of the supposed results of having a good reputation is increased tourism (in addition to having people want to do business, invest and move to such desired countries).

[Lord Jim]

The way I read the story, Canada is rated as the most admired country in the world by "holidaymakers". This does not mean that Canada is the number one tourist destination, just that people on vacation think highly of our friendly friends to the north.

They were drunk then; that explains it...

[Econoline]

My wife and I have been to all 10 Canadian provinces (but none of the territories); I'd say that each one of them has its own particular charm (though Saskatchewan certainly has less than the rest, unless you count "boredom" as a "charm"...). Yes I do like you, I really like you.

• This land is your land, this land is my land,
  From Bonavista to Vancouver Island,
  From the Arctic Ocean to the Great Lakes' waters,
  This land was made for you and me.

[dales]

I like Skagway in the Yukon Territory .... a nice stop over before entering Alaska!

[oldr_n_wsr]

I like Skagway in the Yukon Territory .... a nice stop over before entering Alaska!

I've been there. Twice.

[dales]

Drinks on me, oldr

I've visited 9/10 provinces and both territories.

Never visited Newfoundland.

Last time I was in Canada was 1986 for the World's Fair in Vancouver.