Canada ranked as No. 1 country to visit in world

A new study released by the Reputation Institute found that Canada is the top country in the world to visit, live in, study and attend or organize events.

According to the 2014 Country RepTrak report, a beautiful and enjoyable country, friendly and welcoming people, contributions to global culture and safe environment were key drivers in the rankings.

The Reputation Institute, which operates in 30 countries, is known as the world's leading reputation management consultancy. The 2014 Country RepTrak report is based on online answers from 26, 000 consumers in the G8 countries and focuses on the 55 countries around the world with the highest GDP (gross domestic product).

The report also ranked Canada as the country with the second best overall reputation in the world, after holding the top spot for three consecutive years.

"For international travelers, conventions and meetings held in Canada can be the first spark that ignites interest in doing business that leads to investment, in addition to exploring the unique experiences that our country offers," Greg Klassen, president of Canadian Tourism Commission (CTC), said in a statement Tuesday.

"Canada's leadership in such areas as natural resources, life sciences and aerospace technologies helps make us an important destination for international meetings and conferences," he added.

Countries with a strong reputation attract more tourists as well as foreign knowledge, investment and talent. As visitors?- including business people, future immigrants, investors, entrepreneurs and academics -- become acquainted with Canada and its high-quality products, services and facilities, they can become advocates for the country, identifying business partnerships and creating a foundation for future trade relationships.

Tourism is increasingly booming in Canada in recent years, with international arrivals expected to grow as much as 4.5 percent in 2014, according to the World Tourism Organization. Tourism is Canada's largest service export, contributing 16.4 billion CAD in 2013.