Dubai: Holidaymakers who want plenty of sunshine but are wary of security threats are better off travelling to the UAE, according to the latest data produced by security specialists.
International SOS and Control Risks has recently released a new map of travel risks around the world, which rates various destinations according to three categories – security, medical and road safety.
The 2018 Travel Risk Map shows the UAE has the lowest security risk in the Middle East, along with Oman, Qatar and Kuwait, while a host of other destinations in the region, including Syria, Afghanistan and Libya, are considered the most dangerous places to travel to.
Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, on the other hand, have a higher risk compared to some GCC states, with their "medium" security rating similar to Georgia, Brazil, Peru or Ukraine.
The UAE also poses the lowest threat to a traveller or group in terms of medical and road safety risks. The UAE and Bahrain are the only countries in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region with the lowest risk of a road traffic accident.
Low medical risk destinations offer appropriate standard of healthcare throughout the country and pose low concern for infectious diseases.
Some of the most dangerous places to travel to:
Syria
Mali
Iraq
Yemen
Libya
Yemen
Somalia
Afghanistan
The UAE’s travel security rating is similar to many destinations outside the Middle East, including Sweden, Germany, Australia, Spain, United States, Canada, China, Japan and Singapore.
Overall, the safest places to travel to on the planet are Finland, Norway, Switzerland and Denmark, among others.
Travel security risk ratings take into account the threat posed to holidaymakers by violence, including terrorism, insurgency, war, political and social unrest.
Threat levels are also based on other factors like the quality of roads and other infrastructure, as well as the country’s susceptibility to natural disasters.
Some of the world’s safest places to visit:
Finland
Norway
Denmark
Monaco
Iceland
Greenland
Seychelles
