I must admit to thinking that the "Amazing Thailand" slogan was a bit over the top when it was first introduced by the tourism authorities about two decades ago. But over the years I have grown quite fond of it in a funny sort of way, probably because it is more or less accurate.
There's no question that Thailand is an amazing place in every sense of the word. You only have to read the front page of the Bangkok Post every day if you need to be convinced that at the very least it's a "bit different". Thailand has never ceased to amaze me from the first time I set foot in the kingdom all those years ago. Since then it has either been pretty amazing, extremely amazing or even amazingly amazing.
Every now and again the tourism authorities introduce an additional tagline to boost Amazing Thailand. Last year it was the cool-sounding "Open to the new shades", which was great, except that nobody really knew what it meant.
A few years ago they introduced "Miracle Thailand", which, in addition to its dodgy grammar, was suggesting some kind of divine intervention had been called upon. Of course, there are those who might argue that a miracle of some sort could be just what the country needs at the moment.
Anyway, they shouldn't mess around with these slogans too much. Like it or not, Thailand will continue to be amazing every year, miracles or no miracles.
Keep it simple
We saw all the Asean leaders smiling and holding hands at the recent summit, but I suspect that deep down many were pondering how to come up with a slick slogan to outflank Amazing Thailand. Among the slogans Thailand currently has to contend with from its neighbours are "Surprising Singapore", "Malaysia Truly Asia", and "Cambodia Kingdom of Wonder".
Perhaps more down to earth is "It's More Fun in the Philippines", and I can vouch that assertion is not far off the mark. Another that works thanks to its simplicity is the Laos slogan "Simply Beautiful".
You may recall that during the latter days of the Vietnam War, South Vietnam came up with the somewhat optimistic invitation of "You've Heard About It. Now Come See It". Fortunately, these days they can use the more sedate "Timeless Charm".
Slow but sure
Further afield, Costa Rica's "No Artificial Ingredients" has quite an independent feel to it. In the same region, El Salvador has long touted itself as "The 45-minute country", highlighting the short distance between the major tourist attractions. We can safely say that particular slogan will never be seen in Bangkok where a 45-minute trip would only get you to the next set of traffic lights.
One of the more original slogans comes from Latvia which suggests "Best Enjoyed Slowly", which sounds like an ideal vacation for Thai officials transferred to inactive posts. Then we have "There's nothing like Australia'', which is hard to argue with, although maybe a simple message of "G'Day" would suffice.
Nothing to report
In the US there is much competition between states in trying to attract city dwellers to experience the peace and tranquillity of the great outdoors. One of the bravest slogans is Montana's "There's Nothing Here". It takes some guts to promote nothing.
Another that catches the eye is the Illinois slogan "A Million Miles From Monday", which has a certain lyrical feel to it and would make a terrific country and western song title. Then there is Wyoming's "Like No Place On Earth", which you can interpret in any manner you wish. Perhaps the frankest slogan comes from Nebraska which admits "Honestly, It's Not For Everyone".
There's almost an inevitability about the Texas slogan "Everything Is Bigger In Texas". Perhaps driving this point home is the town of Mesquite which proudly promotes itself as "Texas' 43rd largest city".
Understated charms
Some of the smaller US towns display a touch of wry humour in the promotion of their particular settlement. The town of Gettysburg in South Dakota bills itself as "Where the Battle Wasn't". Then there is Lake City in Iowa which splendidly boasts "Everything But A Lake".
The town of San Andreas in quake-prone California comes up with the disclaimer "It's Not Our Fault" while Walla Walla in Washington settles for "The City So Nice They Named It Twice".
It is hard to argue with the town of Gravity in Iowa which claims "We're Down to Earth". And then there's the remote settlement of Bushnell in South Dakota, which humbly admits "It's not the end of the Earth, but you can see it from here."
Bracing Britain
One British tourism slogan from the old days that has always stuck with me is "Skegness is so Bracing". It featured an illustration of a jolly, fat fisherman, pipe in mouth, bounding along the beach like he had just escaped from the local lunatic asylum. They weren't kidding about the bracing bit either. If you visit Skeggy, a traditional seaside resort on the Lincolnshire coast, with the wind whipping in off the North Sea you would probably use a much stronger expression than "bracing".
Another east coast resort, Clacton-on-Sea, has tried to make the place a little more enticing with the slogan "Sunny Clacton -- Champagne Air, Rainfall Rare" which will bring a wry smile to anyone who has visited the place.
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