The Forbes ranking is based on surveys of experts from the American consulting company iJet Intelligent Risk Systems and the British Control Risks. They assess how safe certain countries are for tourists as well as for employees of various multinational corporations. “Our job is to provide people with the most up-to-date reliable information about the operational situation in a particular city or region,” explained one of the managers of iJet Intelligent.
Countries are assessed in several categories: from political and terrorist risks to the likelihood of civil war, the overall crime rate, and the quality of local law enforcement.
Notably, the African countries that topped the current Forbes ranking, according to the World Tourism Organization, showed record growth in tourist flows this year and were named the most promising destinations. However, while the Forbes list mostly included countries from central and western Africa (Somalia, Sudan, Chad, Côte d'Ivoire, Congo, Liberia, and Burundi) for “low economic development and, as a result, high crime rates,” the World Tourism Organization's report focused on South Africa, Kenya, and Morocco. Meanwhile, domestic tour operators do not seem to be guided by the rankings: they actively offer trips to both Côte d'Ivoire and Sudan, as well as Burundi and Chad.
According to Forbes, besides African countries, it is unsafe to travel this year to Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Lebanon — “due to the unstable political situation and frequent attacks,” which comes as no surprise. However, the presence of Sri Lanka and Haiti, well-known tourist destinations, on the “black list” is alarming. The experts who prepared the ranking explain this by the fact that in Sri Lanka, “the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam have become more active, fighting for the formation of an independent state,” and in Haiti, “demonstrations that turn into riots and armed clashes are frequent.”
The authors of the ranking urge tourists to refrain from traveling to dangerous countries, and advise thrill-seekers to take out full insurance coverage.