SA has bad reputation - survey

Johannesburg - South Africa will need to work on its reputation among foreigners if it wants to attract tourists and investment.

This is the finding of a study by the Reputation Institute, which has assessed the reputations of 34 top industrial countries.

With a score of 44 out of a 100, considered "poor and vulnerable", South Africa is ranked 30th.

The only countries that did worse are South Korea, the Ukraine, China and Russia. Switzerland and Canada did best, scoring above 70.

South Africa's 53.31 out of 100 in terms of perceptions of its beauty, entertainment and lifestyle - factors which affect tourists' decision to visit a country - is cause for concern, especially in the light of the Fifa 2010 World Cup soccer tournament, says Dr Dominik Heil, MD of the Reputation Institute in South Africa.

In Germany, in particular, which spends the most per capita on tourism, South Africa receives low scores in these categories. This will need attention.

"There are areas where it is clear that foreigners don't know our country, for instance in terms of the richness of our culture, the enjoyment to be had and things to do in the country. It's a communication challenge - a media and marketing campaign is essential. The research will help to do it in an informed manner," says Heil.

He believes the World Cup soccer tournament offers an ideal opportunity to demonstrate that the country can organise a world-class event, thus countering negative perceptions in other areas such as government effectiveness.

In the first quarter of 2009 the Reputation Institute questioned 38 000 consumers in the G8 countries (France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the US, Britain, Canada and Russia) about their perceptions of the top 34 industrial countries.

- Sake24.com

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