Canada has been named as the safest country in the world for travelers to visit, ahead of a raft of European countries in a new report.
Canada took the top spot, thanks to its reputation for diversity, inclusivity, low crime and terrorism rates. So travelers to one of the country’s many tourist destinations including cities such as Montreal and Toronto, and national parks like Jasper and Banff, can rest easy that their trip is likely to be safe, whether they are travelling alone or in a group.
The rest of the top 10 is dominated by European countries. Switzerland came second in the rankings – another country noted for its peace and low crime rate. Norway took third spot, followed by Ireland, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Portugal, Denmark and Iceland. The only other non-European country in the top 10 was Australia at 10.
These were the findings of travel insurance provider Berkshire Hathaway Travel Protection’s ninth annual ‘State of Travel Insurance Safest Destination’ report.
To come up with its results, Berkshire Hathaway polled 1,702 travellers between August 24 and September 13, 2023, as well as analysing third-party data on a range of criteria including terrorism, weather emergencies, health measures, and the safety of underrepresented groups. The Berkshire Hathaway rankings also consider data and information sourced from the US State Department, noted magazines The Economist and Global Finance among others.
When it comes to the safest cities in the world to visit, it will be no surprise that many are in the top 10 safest countries to visit, although the number one slot was taken by Honolulu, the capital of Hawaii. With its beaches renowned the world over, the city doesn’t need much help to appeal to tourists, although knowing it is also safe will help.
Montreal in Canada came in second, followed by Reykjavik, the capital of Iceland. Sydney in Australia was voted in fourth place, followed by Amsterdam (Netherlands), Dubai (United Arab Emirates), Copenhagen (Denmark), London (UK), Seoul (South Korea) and Venice in Italy.
