A screenshot of Tourism Malaysia's award-winning video titled 'Truly Wondrous, Nature & Rainforest', featuring the country's everlasting slogan, 'Malaysia Truly Asia'.
Outside Uganda’s international airport there is a massive billboard that reads: “Welcome to Uganda – the pearl of Africa”. I was wondering what this “pearl” was all about. Does it mean that none of the other 53 countries on the African continent is qualified to be called a “pearl”?
I couldn’t seem to find the answer but I then started to think about the chimpanzees and gorillas found in the East African nation. Undoubtedly, the Ugandan authorities’ efforts in conserving these rare and critically endangered primate species deserve our praise.
Tourism has indeed emerged as a major economic sector globally, and almost all the world’s 195 countries (plus some territories) are “fighting” very hard among themselves to get a piece of the pie. Besides lucrative foreign exchange earnings and the creation of countless job opportunities, most importantly, tourism is also significantly promoting mutual social visits as well as cultural exchanges among nations, eventually leading to a more harmonious and peaceful world.
It is because of this that tourism authorities around the world have come up with catchy tourism slogans to lure more tourists and visitors to their shores.
More developed countries in the West were the quickest ones to come up with slogans to “sell” themselves to potential visitors.
For examples, VisitBritain uses “Home of amazing moments”, while the Brand USA has “All within your reach”. And the Italians? They went with something straightforward and familiar yet powerful: “Made in Italy”.
In the currently war-torn Ukraine, her tourism slogan reads, “It’s all about U!”; in Russia, it is, “Reveal your own Russia”, as if to entice the world to unveil the secrets of this enormous country ...
Governments around the world have been cracking their heads to showcase their unique strengths with just a few words, in order to get more people to visit their countries.
I mentioned Tourism Malaysia’s ingenious “Malaysia truly Asia” during an interview with Bernama TV recently. Malaysia is a microcosm of Asia’s rich history, with its pleasant weather, and unique cultural characteristics. The country is teeming with diverse ethnicities, languages, flora and fauna, and mouth-watering local delicacies. It’s a verifiable cultural melting pot that thrives on the perfectly harmonious co-existence of its culturally diverse people.
I don’t know whether you agree with me or not but there is always a “secret ingredient” in any outstanding tourism slogan, i.e. a couple of simple yet powerful words that underscore a country’s uniqueness to achieve that remarkable effectiveness.
For instance, Egypt’s “Where it all begins” invariably associates the country with ancient civilisations, mummies, and the great pyramids – perfect. Similarly, Ethiopia’s “Land of origins” professes the country’s position as the cradle of humanity.
If you love the Earth’s rich biodiversity and wish to explore more, then you must make an attempt to visit Madagascar, which proudly claims to be “A genuine island, a world apart”, and embrace the rare and precious lemurs there.
Additionally, “Incredible India” is known for its many unique sights and cultures, and is one such country everyone must make an effort to visit at least once.
Perched high above the snow-capped Himalayas, Nepal rightly declares: “Once is not enough”.
Of course, the “Japan. Endless discovery” slogan aptly reflects many travellers’ desire to keep going back to the infinitely irresistible Land of the Rising Sun.
Tourism is a kind of product that takes time for it to establish a solid branding and following. It requires a lot of creativity and ideas to package a country into something attractive to visitors while maintaining a level of excellence in service.
The cultural connotation embodied in a tourism slogan will only become effective with concerted effort from everyone in the country in welcoming their guests.
The Turks are enthusiastically calling out to the world, “Be our guest”, while Switzerland’s “Get natural”, Germany’s “Simply inspiring”, Argentina’s “Beats to your Rhythm”, Mexico’s “Live it to believe it”, Mauritius’ “It’s a pleasure”, Paraguay’s “You have to feel it” and “Spain in detail”, are among the many other simple tourism slogans that will give any traveller a taste of what is to come.
Happiness is a universal value the whole human race is pursuing in life. And some countries claim that they are the happiest places to be on this planet.
Fiji once said it is “Where happiness finds you”, but as of 2023, its slogan is “Where happiness comes naturally”. “Timeless Tuvalu” tells the world not to let go of an opportunity to visit the South Pacific island paradise.
Bhutan had been using the slogan, “Happiness is a place” up until October 2022, when it released its new one, “Bhutan – Believe”. Denmark, too, once declared that it was the “Happiest place on Earth”, but changed it to “The land of everyday wonder” a few years back.
I have a personal preference for “China Like Never Before” in view of the country’s phenomenal growth and transformation. I also love the unpretentious “100% Pure New Zealand” – so surreally beautiful.
In short, tourism boards’ promotional slogans and travel guidelines are equally important in getting tourists to come.
As what Amazing Thailand rightly says, “It begins with the people”. Indeed, it is the people’s attitude and hospitality that will instantly capture the visitors’ hearts!
The views expressed are entirely the writer’s own.
Leesan, the globe-trotting traveller who has visited 141 countries and seven continents, enjoys sharing his travel stories and insights. He has also authored six books.
