An international survey has ranked Canada as the second-strongest national brand in the world.

But that doesn't mean it's the country most people want to visit — that honour went to Italy and Canada ranked eighth.

Still, the study's author said Canada received top marks for selling itself as a destination that's safe, friendly and good for families.

"I think for a lot of people it's becoming a very good choice in that it's well liked, familiar, seen as quality," said Rina Plapler, an executive director at FutureBrand, a global consulting firm that conducts the annual survey.

"At the same time I think that Canada has been able to take advantage or leverage the fact that the U.S. has declined a bit as a destination and also picked up some of the benefit of that," Plapler said Monday.

The United States ranked eighth on the survey of 2,700 people, while Australia took the top spot.

Last year, Canada's position was sixth while the year before it placed 12th.

With a slumping global economy hitting the tourism industry hard, Plapler said Canada remains well positioned to reap whatever travel dollars remain.

"Branding becomes more critical in times like this," she said. "When things are great and people can travel anywhere, everybody does well. But when people are more discerning about the choice they make, brand, whether it's countries or products, certainly plays a larger role."

"In times like this, people do want to know that they are going to get quality accommodations, good food, it's going to be easy to travel in and around the country, the people are friendly and welcoming and those are certainties with Canada."

'Keep exploring' promotes tourism in Canada

Though Canada used to sell itself strictly on moose, mountains and Mounties, the Canadian Tourism Commission is now trying for a more sophisticated appeal.

About three years ago, it changed the country's tourism slogan from "discover our true nature" to "keep exploring."

Among other initiatives, the commission is currently helping sponsor a skating rink at Bryant Park, a popular hangout for New Yorkers to bring a little piece of Canada to a highly sought-after urban traveller who won't necessarily cut back on travel during tough economic times.

The commission is also running a video ad campaign shot in part by tourists highlighting the adventures they've had across the country.

The efforts are paying off outside of the branding world, with the Lonely Planet calling Canada one of its top destinations for 2009 alongside places like Kyrgyzstan and Bangladesh.

But for all the money being spent to improve the country's image, it still isn't top of mind for tourists.

Plapler said that's partly because of one of Canada's strengths — its diversity.

"I think that it's clearly doing a lot of things right now, but I think that because Canada stands for so many different things, I think sometimes it's hard for people to focus on it as a first choice because it is broad in its offerings," she said.

"The more Canada communicates a unique message about itself, that will help."