With the U.S. State Department’s travel ranking system for other nations ranging from level one’s “exercise normal precautions” to level four’s “avoid all travel,” it can sometimes be hard to understand why a country where one had not experienced a single safety issue as a tourist was given a higher rating.
Denmark, a nation which often tops lists of the best countries in the world when it comes to quality of life, was recently hit with a renewed travel advisory over heightened risk of terrorism in central areas particularly popular with tourists.
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On Sept. 12, the State Department also raised its advisory for Italy to level two’s “exercise increased precautions” while visiting. The reasons for the higher level of caution is the same as for the Kingdom of Denmark; countries that are particularly popular wth tourists are at heightened risk of terrorist attacks.
Country beloved by tourists has been hit with a raised travel advisory
“Terrorist attacks are possible in Italy,” reads the updated advisory for the country. “Terrorists may attack with little or no warning. They may target tourist spots, transport hubs, markets/shopping malls, local government facilities, hotels, clubs, restaurants, places of religious importance, parks, major sporting and cultural events, schools, airports, and other public areas.”
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Other European countries that have long been under a level two advisory include France and the United Kingdom, as major metropolises such as Paris and London by definition have a higher risk of terrorism, as well as Spain, Germany and the Netherlands.
In the last month, the State Department changed advisory levels for Denmark, Lesotho and Haiti. The latter Caribbean nation is now under the highest “do not travel” advisory after rival gangs freed two of the country’s largest prisons in order to orchestrate a coup against the current administration back in March 2024.
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“The airport in Port-au-Prince can be a focal point for armed activity,” reads the travel advisory for Haiti. “Armed robberies are common. Carjackers attack private vehicles stuck in traffic. They often target lone drivers, especially women.”
While most European countries do not have nearly the same level of warning (some notable exceptions include Ukraine, Belarus and Russia after the latter invaded the former and waged a full-out war in February 2024), tips commonly given by the State Department for “level two” countries include paying attention to surroundings “when traveling to tourist locations and crowded public venues” and having “a contingency plan for emergency situations.”
Other common tips are to monitor the media for any rapidly-evolving situations and follow the instructions of local police if an emergency breaks out.
But as a rule, Italy is one of the safest and most popular foreign countries for Americans to visit. Over six million U.S. citizens came to the country in 2023, while airlines such as Delta (DAL) , American Airlines (AAL) and United Airlines (UAL) recently launched several new seasonal routes to smaller Italian cities such as Venice and Naples amid growing demand to get to places formerly accessible only by train or transfer to a local airline directly from the U.S.
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