UAE topples Egypt in MENA tourism brand rankings

The UAE has toppled Egypt as the top regional (MENA) country in the fifth annual Country Brand Index (CBI).

Driven largely by the meteoric rise of Dubai as a world city and the emergence of Abu Dhabi as an economic powerhouse, the UAE has become a relatively strong brand that is still maturing, the survey conducted by consultancy Futurebrand said.

Ranked 29th overall out of 102 country brands and the highest ranking Middle East country, the UAE’s ascension was also indicative of the softening of Egypt’s brand, Futurebrand added.

The CBI - a comprehensive study of 3,000 international business and leisure travellers from nine countries - identifies emerging global trends in the world’s travel and tourism sector, which accounted for $944bn in international tourism receipts in 2008.

In the MENA region, Egypt had to settle for second place while Israel, Oman and Saudi Arabia also figured prominently.

Rina Plapler, senior executive director, FutureBrand, said: “The UAE is beginning to see dividends on the investments it has made in its tourism infrastructure over the past five years.

"With more mega projects, such as the Palm Jumeirah and the Yas Marina gaining international attention, as well as an array of hospitality offerings, the UAE’s strength as a tourist market has enabled the country to weather the current economic climate better than its regional counterparts.”

The Index also identified the UAE, along with China and Vietnam, respectively as the top three “rising stars” – those likely to become major tourist destinations in the next five years.

This year’s MENA top 10 rankings are as follows:

1. UAE
2. Egypt
3. Israel
4. Turkey*
5. Oman
6. Saudi Arabia
7. Qatar
8. Bahrain
9. Jordan
10. Morocco

* Not traditional a MENA country but included in survey