Culture and tourism flywheels for the Italia brand in the world

Thanks to culture and tourism, Italia's international reputation remains at the highest level in the world according to the Anholt Nation Brands Index ranking, the most authoritative global study on the international perception of nations. Each year it measures how 50 countries are rated by some 40,000 respondents in 20 key markets, representing over 70% of the world's population. The strength of the model is its approach: not macro-indicators, but external perceptions, those that guide consumption, investment and capital mobility decisions. Compared to the 2024 edition, this year Italia loses one position (from third to fourth) but more for technical reasons. In the 2025 ranking, Japan consolidates first place, followed by Germany and Canada. Italia is in fourth place, but improving its overall score: the change is not due to a loss of reputation, but to Canada's leap forward. This dynamic highlights how national branding is a relative and systemic competition.

It is worth emphasising the historical analysis of the period 2008-2025, which shows a picture of remarkable reputational stability. In 17 years, Italia has remained consistently in the world Top 10 of the Nation Brands Index, outperforming three other countries in the same top group. This data highlights a structural resilience of the Nation Brand, able to withstand geopolitical shocks, global economic crises and changes in the international scenario.

In detail of the six dimensions examined by the Index, Italia continues to express the highest values in the areas of Culture and Tourism, which remain the main drivers of its soft power. Relevant to the economic impact of the brand is the structural data on the over 60% correlation between national reputation and revenues from trade, tourism and foreign direct investment (FDI). In 2025, a direct comparison with the main European tourism competitors strengthens Italia, which outperforms Austria, France, Spain and Switzerland on all tourism attributes, with only two exceptions: "natural beauty", where Switzerland scores higher, and "vibrant cities", a dimension in which France prevails. Overall, in tourism, the data confirms a broad and transversal reputational leadership, not limited to historical heritage but extended to the country's overall experience. A further indication comes from the origin of the most positive evaluations. In 2025, the highest scores on Italia's tourist attractiveness come from Argentina and Brazil. Although they do not represent traditionally priority markets for Italian tourist flows, these countries emerge as basins with high reputational potential, with possible future spin-offs in terms of mobility, investment and economic relations.

Less strong, in comparative terms, is the profile on the Governance and Immigration and Investment dimensions, which affect the country's perceived ability to attract capital, talent and long-term projects. It is in this gap between cultural excellence and system perception that the main element of vulnerability of the Italia brand is concentrated.