Popular western travel destinations seem to have been replaced by Middle Eastern countries in the list of safest travel destinations in the world.
Canada, which has regularly been listed as one of the ‘safest destinations’ for years, has been left out this time around in the latest World Economic Forum (WEF) Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report 2015.
The report rated 141 countries to determine which are the safest for travellers from around the globe.
Growing tourism destination, Oman, landed on the list, as the ninth safest followed by Portugal.
Omani neighbours, Qatar and the UAE also topped the list in second and third spots.
Australia just missed out on the top ten, coming in thirteenth safest, while across the Tasman, New Zealand was listed as seventh safest.
Mona Tannous, Sultanate of Oman Tourism Country Manager Australia & New Zealand praised the accolade for Oman.
“Perceptions of safety and security affect where people choose to travel to and through.”
Mona Tannous, Sultanate of Oman Tourism Country Manager Australia & New Zealand
“We’re confident this list will play some part in reassuring travellers of what we’ve always known – that Oman is a welcoming, safe and breath-taking place to visit.”
Here is the complete WEF tourism safety and security TOP 10 list:
10. Portugal
9. Oman
8. Singapore
7. New Zealand
Image: Jiri Foltyn/Shutterstock
6. Luxembourg
5. Austria
4. Iceland
3. UAE
2. Qatar
1. Finland
