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Welcome to our blog post “The 10 Most Dangerous Countries For A Tourist Without Fear!”
The World Economic Forum recently released their Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report. This analyzes the state of 136 countries travel and tourism sectors around the world.
As part of the report, the WEF ranks the safety of each country, in regards to how a country exposes a tourist or businesses to security risks, mainly related to violence or terrorism.
So these following countries are now deemed to be the most dangerous for tourists. This is NOT our personal opinion, although we may be swayed by the list in our advice as to which country a person should or should not visit.
1.Democratic Republic of the Congo
No 1 in this rather dramatic list is The Democratic Republic of the Congo, mainly because The Congolese armed forces as well as other armed groups are very active in many parts of the country. Travellers are likely to come across troops, armoured vehicles or attack helicopters at some point in their journey.
Add to that the fact the war crimes prosecutions are being considered by the United Nations I think its a country best left well alone. Interestingly, it’s no 41 in the UN’s “list of countries by murder” list, with a murder rate of almost 11 per 100,000 people (top is El Salvador with 108)
2. Thailand
Yala, Pattani, Narathiwat & Songkhla are all provinces in Southern Thailand, and are all very dangerous. At least 6,500 killings in the last 13 years in these areas and martial law in effect means it’s a number 2 in our list of most dangerous countries for tourists. Enforced disappearances, human rights violations all add to the misery.
3. Jamaica
What a shame to see Jamaica at no3 for most dangerous country for a tourist to visit. It doesn’t help with it also having a murder rate of 43 per 100,000 people according to the United Nations, making it no 5 worst for homicides also. Kingston & Montego Bay have particular notoriety with violent crime, drugs & shootings a regular occurrence. There are no travel restriction warnings for tourist, but obviously, the high position in such lists should send out a red flag to all tourists.
4. South Africa
The murder rate in South Africa is described as 9 times higher than the United States. That really speaks for itself. It’s not just murder. Drugs, rape & assaults make this a very dangerous place to visit and at no 4 in our list, not for us I’m afraid.
The South African police say there were 2 Million serious crimes recorded in 2016/17. No 8 on the murders list with an incredible 35 per 100,000.
5. Guatemala
Its border with Mexico is one of the most dangerous parts of the country, because of human trafficking and drug trafficking. Other common crimes include carjacking, armed robbery and sexual violence. The real worry is that it is reported that 97% of all homicides remain unsolved. Guatemala is also no.10 in the Murder list with 31 murders per 100,000 people.
6. Chad
Al Qaeda, Boko Haram & Isis are all active in Chad. Civilians and Security forces have been attacked in the past, and so have foreigners.The kidnap of tourists is a recent strategy that the Foreign office have warned visitors against. Surprisingly only 55th in the murders table, but presumably it’s the threat of terrorism that makes them no.6 in our Most dangerous countries for tourist list.
7. Bangladesh
Unfortunately, Terror attacks targeting civilians are highly likely in Bangladesh. Indeed, In August 2017, the Bangladeshi security forces disrupted a reported plot to target Mourning Day commemorations in Dhaka. Isis has claimed responsibility for a number of terrorist attacks in Bangladesh since September 2015 and groups affiliated to Al Qaeda in the Indian Sub-continent (AQIS) are also active.
There are also humanitarian problems as a result of ongoing violence in Burma since August 2017, hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees have arrived in the south-east of Bangladesh, close to the border with Burma. Strangely perhaps, as low as 137th in the murders list, with only 2 murders per 100,000 people but again, maybe the Terrorist threat completely overshadows the actual murder rate!
8. Mali
The recent indiscriminate killings of 4 visitors to Mali (5 dead inc one security) in a Hotel in Mali’s capital Bamako in June 2017, echoes previous attacks on Hotels & restaurants, that are often the target for terrorists attacks. In 2015 anothe r attack on a Hotel led to 20 being killed. A new alliance of Islamist militant groups linked to al-Qaeda has claimed responsibility for the attack and the country is on high alert.
The US warns its citizens against all travel to Mali, while the British Government advises against all travel to northern areas and “all but essential travel” to Bamako and the south.
42nd in the murder list with nearly 11 per 100,000 which is also way too high.
9. Lebanon
Bombing are the prevalent problem in Lebanon. Multiple extremist groups are active in Lebanon and attacks such as bombing happen frequently. It can also be possible for smaller protests to spiral out of control leading to harm for bystanders.
Murder rate quite good at 108th position and only 4 murders per 100,000 people, but again, it’s the Terrorist threat that makes them no 9 on our most dangerous countries for tourists list.
10. Philippines
There have been numerous terror-related incidents in the Philippines in recent years, and although they don‘t necessarily target visitors, it’s still possible to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. However, there have been targeted incidents against foreign interests such as an improvised explosive device found at the US Embassy in 2016.
There are many parts of the Philippines you should avoid due to their heightened risk of terrorist activities, and it’s wise to keep across any potential alerts via your government travel safety advisory.
There is also a high murder rate, the highest in Asia, also drugs, kidnapping and violence to women are all problems which the tourist must risk.
The murder position is 48th in the murder list with almost 10 per 100,000 which is way too high, so best left alone for visiting anytime soon..
So there it is. Officially the 10 most dangerous countries for tourists to visit!
There can be no doubt that all of these countries are so beautiful in places its hard to neglect them, but tourist safety is becoming such a serious issue for many travellers that I don’t think I will be visiting anytime soon.
You may be interested in our sister post “What are the safest countries to visit”
