International SOS highlights the most unsafe countries to travel to

29-02-24

In a recent analysis of the global travel security environment, International SOS has identified Russia, the Sahel, Colombia, Ecuador, certain areas of Lebanon and Palestinian areas as having an increased level of risk by 2023. In contrast, El Salvador and Nepal emerge as safer destinations, marking a positive trend in tourism safety by 2024.

This analysis, captured in an interactive Risk Map, highlights significant increases in hazard ratings in parts of Lebanon, parts of Palestine, Russia and the Sahel region, categorizing them as having a "high" or "extreme" level of risk to expatriate safety. Ecuador and certain areas of Colombia have also seen their risk level increase, mainly due to a rise in crime and social unrest, which could negatively impact international business operations.

In contrast, security has improved markedly in El Salvador and parts of Nepal, reflecting a sustained decrease in risk factors and moving toward "medium" and "high" risk levels, respectively.

The study also incorporates, for the first time, risks arising from climate change, revealing an 80% increase in climate change-related medical alerts in 2023 compared to the previous year. This increase places climate change as a major risk concern for corporations. The analysis suggests that increasingly frequent episodes of extreme heat could become the norm, affecting both people's physical and mental health.

The report stresses the importance of companies adapting to these changing conditions to protect health and mitigate the effects of climate change. It also highlights improvements in medical risk in countries such as Bolivia and Côte d'Ivoire, attributed to gradually improving access to quality health services, especially in major cities.