• In results published on CNBC, a recent FutureBrand survey of 3,000 business owners and leisure travelers from nine countries, the US ranked as the number one place people would choose to visit or do business with. This survey bumped Australia, which had previously held the no. 1 slot for three years, to third place, and Canada came in at number two. Tim Riches, CEO FutureBrand Singapore attributes "the revitalisation of Brand USA" to the "Obama Effect."
  
  The "Country Brand Index" includes 102 countries.
  
  Here are the top ten in this year's survey:
  
  1. United States
  2. Canada
  3. Australia
  4. New Zealand
  5. France
  6. Italy
  7. Japan
  8. Britain
  9. Germany
  10. Spain