M'SIA AMONG TOP 10 VALUE-FOR-MONEY DESTINATIONS

By Muin Abdul Majid

DUBAI, Dec 3 (Bernama) -- Malaysia has been placed seventh for Best Country
Brand for Value for Money in a global study conducted by FutureBrand, a leading
global brand consultancy.

The report, Country Brand Index (CBI) 2008, also mentioned Malaysia as an
example of a country brand that used a regional message to position itself in
the global marketplace and set itself apart from other comparable countries in
the region.

The 'Malaysia, Truly Asia' tagline was cited as helping Malaysia gain
equity
in markets inundated with comparable countries.

The study was done in conjunction with public relations firm, Weber
Shandwick's Global Travel & Lifestyle Practice, according to a statement from
Tourism Malaysia.

Now in its fourth year, the CBI is a comprehensive study of approximately
2,700 international business and leisure travellers from nine countries,
including the United States, United Kingdom, China, Australia, Japan, Brazil,
United Arab Emirates, Germany and Russia.

It examines how countries are branded and ranked according to key criteria,
and identifies emerging global trends in the world's fastest growing economic
sector -- travel and tourism which account for US$5.9 trillion of economic
activity worldwide this year and more than 238 million jobs.

This year's index included rankings and trends, as well as travel
motivations, challenges and opportunities within the worlds of travel, tourism
and country branding.

-- BERNAMA