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Safety remains a major concern for Americans traveling in the Southern Hemisphere, especially in places where neither the local customs nor the language feel familiar and the culture of fraud is widespread. However, there is a place where the risks are not so highand this is considered safest to travel in Latin America.
The geopolitical group remains a top tourist destination as a whole: whether it’s a beach getaway closer to home in Mexico’s stunning Riviera Maya, or an extended city break in the stunning city of Rio, Brazil, Latin America is full of wonders and beauty route locations ready to be discovered.
On the downside, those visiting these places are usually advised to be more ‘careful’ as the crime rate is usually high.
What are some of the safest destinations in the world?
This year’s edition of the Global Peace Index (GPI) ranked 163 countries and independent territories based on their ‘level of peace’. The study uses 23 qualitative and quantitative indicators from ‘highly respected sources’ and considers three main ‘areas’ in measuring peace:
- Level of ‘Security and Social Security’
- The extent of any ‘ongoing internal and international conflict’
- Degree of Militarization
These factors directly contribute to the perception of tourism safety – when locals themselves feel that crime levels in their cities are low, visitors have no reason to worry. As expected, the safest continent with the highest safety marker scores remains Europeheaded by the insular nation of Iceland, the most peaceful in the world.
Iceland is one of the few counties to have been awarded the Blue Almost Unreachable badge by the US State Department, meaning it has been placed at the lowest possible Level 1 Travel Advisory. Traveling to Iceland , Americans should ‘exercise normal precautions’. Other countries in the top ten include New Zealand, in second place, Ireland, Denmark and Austria.
Conversely, countries with the lowest scores this year are Afghanistan, which has held the title for five consecutive years, Yemen, Syria, Russia, mainly due to its aggressive campaign against neighboring Ukraine and South Sudan. In summary, the “State of Peace” in different countries is classified according to the following categorization:
- Very high (dark green)
- High (light green)
- medium (yellow)
- Low (Orange)
- Very low (red)
- Not Included (Grey)
And the most peaceful country in Latin America this year is…
From 33 Latin American and Caribbean countries, only four have achieved at least a ‘light green’ certification, they are Chile, Uruguay, Panama and Costa Rica with the highest peaks. With an overall safety score of 1.732, 0.017 points higher than last year’s index, Costa Rica is officially the safest destination within the collective.
In global rankings, it is 38th most peaceful country, beating out other American competitors like Mexico and even the United States by a wide margin. For comparison, these North American giants are ranked 129th and 137th respectively, being assigned an ‘orange’ or ‘low security’ symbol.
The US and Mexico share this suboptimal status with countries such as Brazil, Turkey, Colombia and Israel.
Back to Costa Rica, it is behind only Canada (12th globally) in America, down 26 places. In Central America, it’s where Americans will feel safest – which is part of the reason it has become so popular among young backpackers in recent months, being crowned a regional tourism leader.
This year’s GPI notes that there has been a ‘deterioration’ of peace, attributed to an increase in violent demonstrations, arms imports, rising crime rates and political instability, but Costa Rica keeps a good record on both the militarization and ongoing conflict fronts, faring much better than its counterparts in this regard.
What you need to know before visiting Costa Rica
Currently, there are no Covid entry requirements for Americans traveling to Costa Rica. They are allowed to enter regardless of whether they are vaccinated and no pre-departure testing, or post-arrival testing/quarantine rules apply. It is one of a handful of Latin American countries where these restrictions have been lifted for good.
The US State Department advises Americans to exercise “extra care‘ in Costa Rica, the same advice applies to a number of traditionally safe European and North American destinations. The subject specifically lists pickpocketing and theft as ‘common crimes’, although the vast majority of visits to Costa Rica are completely trouble-free.
Marks the UK Home Office equivalent to the US State Department Costa Rica has a ‘lower homicide rate’ than its neighbors’, despite being high compared to the UK. Even then, tourists must maintain the “same level of personal safety awareness” as in Britainwhere the theft of personal belongings and robbery is also a problem.
Read more:
Travel Insurance covering Covid-19 for 2022
Costa Rica officially launches the new digital nomad visa with a simple process
The new tourism route will start between the Dominican Republic, Costa Rica and Panama
Caribbean destinations are off limits this fall and winter
The 10 best off-the-beaten-path sun destinations for American travelers this winter
This article originally appeared on Travel Off Path. For the latest news that will impact your next trip, please visit: Traveloffpath.com
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Disclaimer: Current travel rules and restrictions subject to change without notice. The decision to travel is ultimately your responsibility. Contact your consulate and/or local authorities to confirm your nationality entry and/or any changes to travel requirements before you travel. Travel Off Path does not endorse travel against government advice
