Competitive intelligence: Canada’s tourism rivals test their ambitions.

• Oh Danny boy! Tourism Ireland’s video to attract congestion-weary Londoners has been a big hit in the UK. The video is a mad-cap race between two friends, with one trying to get to his City of London office before the other gets to Ireland. Guess who wins…

• Social whirl: Tourism Australia has laid claim to a world first with its new Discover Australia Through Your Friends travel planning tool, which combines Facebook with Google Maps. Users put in a destination that they are considering and then can see which of their friends has been there already. The app also shows check-ins, comments and tagged photos on a map.
• Likely lads: The Czech Republic has paid a small homage to Facebook by rebranding its page with Czech Republike as its new slogan. The play on words will be rolled out across its other channels in the coming months.
• Another BRIC in the wall: The latest Global Business Travel Association Travel Outlook survey shows that business travel growth in Brazil, Russia, India and China is leaving the US and Europe in the dust. The survey indicates that China will sail past the US in terms of total travel spending by 2014. Business travel for 2012 looks set to reach $1.07 trillion.
• Bollywood calling: India is aiming to carve a bigger slice out of the global tourism marketplace. By the end of 2016, it plans to have 11.4 million international visitors, the equivalent of 1% of the world market. To do so, it will continue with its “Incredible India” campaign and also call upon the cinema industry to promote the country as a filming destination through film festivals.
• Asian invasion: Tourism Australia has rolled out the next phase of its AUS$250-million campaign in Singapore, Malaysia and India.

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