The anti-corruption group Transparency International annually publishes a “corruption perceptions index,” which measures the level of government corruption in each country.

In the latest index, which was released in November, the majority of the 180 countries analyzed scored below five on a scale from 0 (perceived to be highly corrupt) to 10 (perceived to have low levels of corruption).

The highest scorers in the 2009 CPI are New Zealand at 9.4, Denmark at 9.3, Singapore and Sweden tied at 9.2 and Switzerland at 9.0.

U.S. The United States was at 7.5, just below the the United Kingdom.

The countries in Latin America scored as follows:

• Chile 6.7
• Uruguay 6.7
• Puerto Rico 5.8
• Costa Rica 5.3
• Cuba 4.4
• Brazil 3.7
• Colombia 3.7
• Peru 3.7
• El Salvador 3.4
• Guatemala 3.4
• Panama 3.4
• Mexico 3.3
• Dominican Republic 3.0
• Argentina 2.9
• Bolivia 2.7
• Honduras 2.5
• Nicaragua 2.5
• Ecuador 2.2
• Paraguay 2.1
• Venezuela 1.9

I was surprised to see how poorly Argentina scored. For one thing, it has the second highest GDP in South America (behind Brazil).

A recent story in the New York Times about North Americans who are purchasing real estate in Nicaragua cited the country’s low CPI score. Referring “to incessant traffic shakedowns and bribery attempts performed on gringos by police patrolling the roads,” the story quoted one of the purchasers as saying “if you drive to Managua, it is very unlikely that you won’t be pulled over.”

How do these government corruption scores match up with your own experiences in these countries?

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There’s been a 65 percent increase in North Americans traveling to Honduras over the past five years, Ensley Eikenburg, associate publisher at Frommer’s told USA Today last week. The story was about Frommer’s recently released guide to Honduras.

She added that since Frommer’s began publishing its Costa Rica guide in 2001, it’s been one of their top 10 offerings.

Later this month, Frommer’s is coming out with a guide for Nicaragua and El Salvador. This follows the publisher’s recent release of titles on Panama, Guatemala, and an omnibus guide to Central America.

Among Amazon’s “Hot New Travel Book Releases” are:

• Fodor’s Costa Rica 2010;
• Moon Cancun and Cozumel;
• The Rough Guide to Peru;
• Frommer’s Cancun, Cozumel, and Yucatan 2010;
• Eye Witness Travel Top 10 Puerto Rico; and
• Moon Puerto Rico.

Do tourism slogans actually work? I doubt it. At best, they manage to associate a place with some unrelated, but positive concept–like love.

At worst, they make a fantastic punchline about a destination that few people would want to visit.

Take one of the oldest travel slogans: “Virginia is for lovers.” I’ve lived near the state for several years now and I still don’t see why it would particularly appeal to lovers. I’ve never known a couple whose honeymooned there.

Another successful slogan that made use of the love theme is “I love New York.” In 1969, when the slogan was first conceived, declaring your love for the Empire State was an attention grabbing proposition.

New York City was heading into its worst decade ever. Other cities in New York such as Albany or Buffalo were probably not experiencing a renaissance during this period either.

Asking Someone to Love You Takes A Lot of Nerve. To paraphrase a Paul Simon song, asking someone to love you takes a lot of nerve.

For some countries in Central America, just believing that they are “original” (Nicaragua) or “impressive” (El Salvador) will suffice.

Like almost all travel slogans through the ages, it’s impossible to match the destination with the concept they wish to evoke. Quick–which country is “Mother Nature’s Best Kept Secret?”

Why of course, it’s Belize.

In Perfect Position. In some cases the concept to which the country aspires is unclear. Honduras, for example, wants the world to know it’s “in perfect position.” In perfect position for what?

(Jokes about how this slogan relates to the political situation in Honduras are too easy.)

Below are the slogans that have been adopted by each country in Central America:

• Belize: Mother Nature’s Best Kept Secret.

• Costa Rica: No Artificial Ingredients

• El Salvador: Impressive!

• Guatemala: Heart of the Mayan World

• Honduras: In Perfect Position

• Nicaragua: Original.

• Panama: It will never leave you.

What do you think about tourism board taglines? Notice any ironies or funny aspects about any of these slogans?

September 16th is a special day for me. Besides being my birthday, it’s Mexico’s Independence Day.

Yesterday, September 15th, marks the independence of:

• Costa Rica,
• El Salvador,
• Guatemala,
• Honduras, and
• Nicaragua.

Each one of these Central American country’s broke free from Spain on the same day in 1821.

Chile’s Independence Day is Sept. 18th, while Brazil’s is Sept. 7th.

Photo by monstershaq2000 (Via Creative Commons)