Suriname, Brand That Nation!
Travel Blog • Jim Benning • 08.01.07 | 3:25 PM ET
Photo by Suripepa via Flickr (Creative Commons)
Everyone knows how important nation branding can be in developing strong tourism economies. Witness the success of New Zealand (it’s pure! Froddo lives there!) and Spain (wacky parks! Miró! tapas!). Without a strong brand, a nation’s reputation is vulnerable to the whims of pop culture (holiday in Kazakhstan, anyone?). Sadly, not every country has the resources for nation branding. Other countries simply need fresh ideas. For them, we launch Brand That Nation!—an irregular feature that will act as a sort of tip sheet for countries that may or may not be considering new branding campaigns. Note: While our tips may work everywhere, they’re designed especially for the U.S. market, where simple, easy-to-remember slogans are key.
Official name: Republic of Suriname
Population: 438,144
Capital: Paramaribo
Motto: “Justice. Piety. Loyalty.”
Location: Northeastern South America, next to Guyana and French Guiana
Noteworthy factoid: 27 percent of the population is Hindu
Quick travel take: “With a buzzing capital full of Dutch colonial architecture and a wild interior riddled with rivers, waterfalls and wildlife, exotic Suriname is an adventure traveler’s dream.”—Lonely Planet
The problem: Almost unknown to American travelers. Adding insult to injury, according to Wikipedia, Suriname was “mistakenly referred to as being ‘a country in Africa’ by host Mike Rowe on the Discovery Channel show ‘Dirty Jobs,’ and a country in Asia in the film ‘The Silence of the Lambs.’”
Nearly random quote from travel blogger in Suriname: “At sundown the mosquito hordes came out and chased me to my hammock.”—steveislost.com
Recent headline: Purple Frog Among 24 New Species Found in Suriname
Potential slogans:
* What Happens Here, Stays Here—Unless You Find Something Really Cool in the Jungle
* Discover Suriname, Discover a New Species
* Suriname: Run (Don’t Walk) to Your Hammock
* Suriname: It’s Nowhere Near Vietnam
* Suriname: Why Do You Think We’re in Africa?
* Suriname: Dude, Get a Map
Now get out there and Brand That Nation!