A man on a hilltop overlooking Korogocho in Nairobi.Thomson Reuters
The INSIDER Summary:
- The World Economic Forum recently released its?Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report, which analyzes the travel and tourism sectors in 136 countries.
- The report includes a ranking of how safe those 136 countries are for tourists.
- The ranking is based on the prevalence of?violence and terrorism and not on petty crime.
- The five most dangerous countries are Nigeria, Pakistan, El Salvador, Yemen, and Colombia.
Some countries are better suited for tourists than others.
The World Economic Forum recently released its?Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report, which analyzes the state of the travel and tourism sectors in 136 countries.
As a part of the?report, the WEF ranks the safety of each of those countries. To come up with this ranking, the forum “measures the extent to which a country exposes tourists and businesses to security risks mainly related to serious harm to people (violence and terrorism).” The ranking does not take petty crime into account.
We rounded up the 20 most dangerous countries from the report, based on safety and security.
Keep reading to see which countries you might want to avoid.
20. Democratic Republic of the Congo
19. Thailand
The provinces of Yala, Pattani, Narathiwat, and Songkhla ? all of which are in southern Thailand ? are the most dangerous in the country. In the past 13 years, more than 6,500 deaths have occurred in these areas because of?violence. There’s also a martial law in effect in the region.
While there are no ongoing travel advisories for Jamaica, violent crime?and shootings?are?still rampant?in some parts of the country, like Kingston and Montego Bay. Even guests staying in resorts can be affected.
16. Guatemala
Women marching for International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women in Guatemala City, Guatemala.Josue Decavele / Reuters
Guatemala’s border with Mexico is one of the most dangerous parts of the country because of frequent drug and human?smuggling. The country also had the fifth-highest homicide rate in Latin America and the Caribbean last year. Other common crimes include carjacking, armed robbery, and theft.
15. Chad
ISIS,?Al Qaeda, and Boko Haram are all active in Chad. In the past, attacks?by these extremist groups have targeted not only civilians and security forces but also foreigners.
Border crossings, specifically Chad’s borders with Libya and Sudan, can be dangerous too because of minefields.
14. Bangladesh
Police offers near a homeless mother and her child at the International Crimes Tribunal in Dhaka.Andrew Biraj / Reuters
Besides the threat of terrorist attacks, extreme weather also affects Bangladesh, putting the country at risk for numerous natural disasters. The Asian nation experiences tropical cyclones, flooding, and sometimes earthquakes.
13. Mali
The risk for terrorist attacks is high in Mali’s capital, Bamako, as well as in other parts of northern and central Mali. Hotels and restaurants are often the targets for these attacks; in November 2015, numerous people were taken hostage and killed at a Radisson Hotel in Bamako.
12. Lebanon
Shattered glass near the word “revolution” on a broken advertising billboard in downtown Beirut.Thomson Reuters
Because multiple extremist groups are active in Lebanon, terrorist attack such as bombings happen frequently. It’s also typical for protests and smaller disputes between neighbors or families to escalate and turn violent, causing harm to bystanders.
8. Kenya
While many terrorist attacks occur outside Nairobi, the threat of terrorism is still high in the city. Bombings with grenades as well as?shootings and stabbings are common forms of attacks.
7. Egypt
ISIS and other extremist groups pose serious threats to public venues throughout Egypt, including tourist sites. The groups have also been known to target various modes of transportation.
6. Venezuela
Shortages of basic goods such as water, food, medicine, and electricity have lead to much social unrest and crime throughout Venezuela. The country has one of the highest crime?rates in the world; armed robbery, murder, kidnapping, and carjacking are all common forms of violence in much of the country.?The US Department of State warns against travel to Venezuela.
5. Nigeria
Two extremist groups, Boko Haram, and the Islamic State West Africa, are responsible for much of the violence that occurs in Nigeria, and they commonly target heavily populated areas?like churches, schools, restaurants, hotels, and entertainment venues.
The US Department of State says visitors “should be vigilant at public gatherings and locations frequented by foreigners” and to “exercise extreme caution throughout the country due to the threat of indiscriminate violence.”
4. Pakistan
Religious conflict has plagued Pakistan for years, and violence against certain religious groupsis still common throughout the country.
Pakistan’s government also greatly limits freedom of speech and forbids foreigners access to numerous places throughout the country.
3. El Salvador
A police officer at a crime scene in Soyapango, on the outskirts of San Salvador, in 2015.Jose Cabezas/Reuters
Besides having one of the world’s highest homicide levels, El Salvador is also known for its many gangs, which are known as maras.?Gang violence includes everything from extortion to arms and drug trafficking.
2. Yemen
A boy walking by a house damaged by a Saudi-led airstrike in Yemen’s capital, Sanaa.Thomson Reuters
Rebel groups based in Yemen’s capital, Sanaa, continue to both target and detain US citizens. Extremist groups such as Al Qaeda?are also active in the country, and?because of land mines and airstrikes, much of Yemen’s population lacks basic necessities like food, water, and medical assistance.
1. Colombia
While Colombia isn’t as dangerous as it once was ? Medell?n was named South America’s best destination last year in the World Travel Awards ? visiting the country still poses quite a risk for foreign travelers.
Bacrim, armed gangs, are?responsible for kidnappings, drug trafficking, and robberies that occur throughout the country, while acts of terrorism, like explosions, are common in many big cities like Bogota.
Source:?http://www.businessinsider.com
The report is absolutely unreliable and based on assumption. The report does not reflect the parameters/references of calculations. The World Economic Form (WEF) has therefore, no authentic source of information. Moreover, the reporter has not disclosed his name and position. Pakistan is a safe country for the world tourists. We have a rich culture and beautiful places everywhere in Pakistan to attract the attention of local and foreign tourists. The hospitality of Pakistanis is applauded by the foreign tourists and those who visit Pakistan feel pleasure and security here. Unfortunately, our Tourism Department does not pay due attention to promote the Tourism Industry in proper way. The social media is also lacking attention regarding projection of the exposure in respect of our culture particularly that of Kalash Valley and other tribal areas.
The reason why we are seeing such news because we do not have informative blogs about our tourist places like in india there are plenty of websites: ncredibleindia.org and walkthroughinda etc although i have found pakistani web blogs like https://thechukar.com or http://paktantravelguide.com but they need little more efforts.
Tourists come to Pakistan and they never face problems, this studies is just based on myths Pakistan is not what the media portrays.