The US has for the first time taken the top spot in a survey ranking countries from around the world on their brand appeal,
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Rising from third place in 2008, the US earned the coveted number one spot in the fifth annual Country Brand Index (CBI).
Australia slipped from the top spot to number three, while Canada - host of the 2010 winter Olympics -rose to second place.
Other countries to make it into the top ten include France, Italy and New Zealand.
A survey of 3,000 business and leisure travellers, the CBI examines how countries are branded and tracks emerging trends in the tourism sector.
This year's poll was conducted by brand consultancy FutureBrand, in partnership with public relations firm Weber Shandwick, whose president Rene A Mack said the results were likely to be influenced by the election of Barack Obama and a new-found American optimism.
In related news, Uluru and Kakadu in Australia's Northern Territory have been voted the country's top destinations by National Geographic Traveler magazine.
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