Australia Is the ‘Dumb Blonde’ of the World
According to results of an annual national reputation survey by public affairs company GfK Roper, at least. {the Age}
Also associated with dumb blondes
Simon Anholt, who oversees the survey, told Australian newspaper The Age “what you have is an image of a country that is considered to be very decorative, but not very useful.”
While tourism promotions like the Best Job In the World competition have achieved worldwide publicity, Anholt says that they’ve placed too much emphasis on the country’s natural beauty, rather than educational or cultural offerings.
Australia is facing challenges to its reputation as an international education destination after attacks on Indian college students, a stronger Australian dollar and changes in immigration policy.
While she’s an American cultural phenomenon, Anholt also wasn’t enthusiastic about Tourism Australia’s decision to bring Oprah Winfrey to the country to tape episodes of her show in December.
It’s still to be seen if the Big O can work her magic on Australian tourism, but would it really hurt? Paris and Rome have been cultural attractions for hundreds of years. Famous as the Sydney Opera House may be, trying to establish Australia as a cultural center to rival those with centuries of standing could take more money, and many more years to show returns.
In the long run, Australia will need to be seen as more than a pretty country, but for now there’s no harm in having fun.
