In terms of reputation Pattaya ranks 64th out of 100 of the world’s great cities – that’s 15 slots behind Phuket (49) but 13 ahead of Bangkok (77). Like most survey statistics the findings are open to all sorts of interpretations ...
Only 64th? I thought Pattaya would fare better, might be one reaction.
What is Pattaya doing there at all? might be another.
For myself I’m just happy to see Pattaya’s name on the list. It means I have ended up in a thriving city, not in some backwater.

Not getting a look-in
Take a good look at the lists which we have had to split over two pages (52 and 54) and mentally run through the big name cities that don’t even get a look-in. Pattaya is on the international reputations map for reasons I’m not sure I can explain. But its name is there and that’s just fine with me.
Before I go any further perhaps I should attribute the credit for these findings. The survey was carried out by the Reputation Institute. It’s a consulting firm based in New York but with offices spread round the globe.
Every year they publish the Reputation Institute’s City RepTrak™, a study that assesses public perceptions of 100 cities, representing almost 60 countries.
The study measures the overall trust, esteem, admiration and good feelings the public holds towards these cities, as well as perceptions across 13 different attributes relating to economy, administration and general appeal.
Results from more than 35,000 respondents in 15 countries placed London at the top of the reputation tree. London is my home “town” so please allow me a moment here while the smug smile takes time to disappear from my face.
The survey showed that London scored well in all of the 13 elements, followed by Geneva, Sydney and Vienna – with world cities like New York and Hong Kong trailing far behind in 25th and 46th places, respectively. London is among the best places to study.
That said, I was unable to discover if the survey was conducted prior to folk starting to set fire to the place after a Londoner had been killed in a police action. I believe it must have been before as surely that would have sullied its reputation.

Italian cities thrive
The survey also revealed that Italian cities are held in high regard with three – Venice, Rome and Florence – featuring in the Top 10.
The Institute says: “An interesting observation comes from comparing the results of this study with a parallel study of country reputations released by Reputation Institute last September (more on this shortly).
“Whereas the public gave top grades to Canada and Sweden, the major cities in those countries – namely Vancouver, Montreal, Toronto and Stockholm – ranked much lower in the city rankings.
“Conversely, Top 10 rated cities fared much better than some of their home countries (including Italy, Spain, Austria, and the UK). The results demonstrate that cities can rise above national political and economic issues to build trust and admiration with the public.”