Canada has vaulted up the rankings to second place in a survey of the best national brands, according to tourism and branding experts as well as international travellers.

Canada moved up from a sixth-place finish last year and a twelfth-place finish two years ago in the Country Brand Index, largely on the strength of a new marketing campaign established three years ago by the Canadian Tourism Commission.

The CTC set out to change the perception of Canada as a place of moose and Mounties to a destination that can offer tourists a wide array of exhilarating adventures.

The CTC's ad campaign features home videos shot by tourists who are:

• zip-lining in British Columbia
• dog sledding in the Far North
• having close encounters with seals while kayaking on the East Coast

(Tourists) are no longer satisfied just seeing Canada from the windows of a bus," Greg Klassen, the CTC's vice president of marketing, said Tuesday on CTV's Canada AM. "They want to get out and have an experience and we're the perfect country for those kinds of experiences."

The Country Brand Index, compiled by international consulting firm FutureBrand, ranks Canada behind only Australia for establishing a reputation as a safe, friendly destination for families.

The United States ranked third.

Rina Plapler, FutureBrand's executive director, said a strong brand will be appealing to travellers looking for a fun, but safe, place to go during an uncertain economic climate when travelling often includes tight security measures.

"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," Plapler told The Canadian Press.

However, Canada does still have some work to do to compete with top European destinations.

Canada ranked eighth behind first-place Italy as the country most people want to visit.

Klassen said he hopes the CTC's marketing campaign can push Canada into a top-five finish next year.

"The world will be chasing those few customers who will be travelling next year, so one of our focuses is to really hit their emotional hot buttons," Klassen said. "Use our advertising to get in the heart of the traveller so they think of Canada first ahead of many other destinations out there."