Nation branding for the baby boomer retirement wave

A country’s image, safety, medical care and ease of visa processes are important factors for baby boomers who are considering retiring abroad. Not only are affluent retirees travelling internationally at an increasing rate, they are also looking for a place to call home in their own personal paradise.

Countries that seek this sort of foreign investor should streamline visa processes and provide fiscal advantages to the baby boomer crowd. Quality of life and medical care also require much attention. In Italy, for example, a two-bedroom townhouse in the stunning medieval hamlet of Calitri, in the mountains near Naples, will cost around $50,000. And yet a couple of hours in a car will have you on the doorsteps of the Rome American Hospital, considered to be among the globe’s top private hospitals.

In 2009, Forbes published The 10 Best Retirement Havens. The countries on their hit list include: Austria, Thailand, Italy, Panama, Ireland, Australia, France, Malaysia, Spain and Canada. Take a closer look at The 10 Best Retirement Havens in pictures.

Forbes also compared FutureBrand’s County Brand Index with two annual rankings of international cities, by Mercer, a corporate consulting firm owned by Marsh & McLennan. The Country Brand Index evaluates nations according to 30 criteria, from safety to the friendliness of the locals, and then ranks the top 10 nations overall and in each category. As for Mercer’s two studies, one covers quality of life in 215 cities and the other cost of living in 143 cities. The results of the comparison are as follows:

 

.	Country Brand	Cities	Mercer	Mercer
	Index Top 10		Quality-of-Life	Cost-of-Living
	Rankings		Rank1.	Rank2
Australia	1*	.	.	.
Favorite to live	1	Sydney	10	66
Outdoor activities	1	Melbourne	18	92
.	.	Perth	21	117
.	.	Adelaide	30	130
Austria	.	.	.	.
Outdoor activities	9	Vienna	1	21
Safety	9	.	.	.
Canada	2*	.	.	.
Family friendly	1	Vancouver	4	93
Favorite to live	3	Toronto	15	85
.	.	Ottawa	16	121
.	.	Montreal	22	103
.	.	Calgary	26	89
France	6*	.	.	.
Art & Culture	2	Paris	32	13
History	3	Lyon	37	62
Ireland	.	.	.	.
Friendly locals	2	Dublin	25	25
Rest/	10	.	.	.
relaxation
Italy	4*	.	.	.
Arts & Culture	1	Milan	41	11
Fine Dining	1	Rome	55	18
Malaysia	.	.	.	.
Value for money	7	Kuala Lumpur	75	96
.	.	Johor Baharu	106	n/a
Panama	n/a	.	.	.
.	.	Panama City	94	93
Spain	.	.	.	.
Family friendly	2	Barcelona	42	38
Ease of travel	2	Madrid	48	37
Thailand	.	.	.	.
Value For Money	1	Bangkok	120	98
Friendly locals	3	Rayong	133	n/a
United States	3*	.	.	.
Ideal for business	1	Boston	35	60
Shopping	1	Chicago	44	50
.	.	Houston	62	63
.	.	Los Angeles	59	23
.	.	Miami	63	45
.	.	New York	49	8
.	.	Portland	42	109
.	.	San Francisco	30	34
.	.	Washington DC	44	66

1: Out of 215 Cities, 1 is best
2: Out of 143, Cities 1 is most expensive
* A combination of CBI ranking in 30 different categories.
Table source: Retire at Home or Abroad?, Forbes.com