Most dangerous countries for tourists: Philippines ranks 11th

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippines is the 11th most dangerous country for tourists, according to the 2017 Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report of the World Economic Forum.

The report was prepared before a disgruntled gambling addict stormed Resorts World Manila in Pasay City, killing 37 people before taking his own life. 

Based on the report, the Philippines was in 126th spot among 136 countries when it comes to ensuring the safety of tourists.

“Security concerns remain high and diminished protection of property rights, less effective judicial system and stricter rules on (foreign direct investments) have reduced the conduciveness of the business environment,” the report said. 

The 10 most dangerous countries in the world are Colombia, Yemen, El Salvador, Pakistan, Nigeria, Venezuela, Egypt, Kenya, Honduras and Ukraine. 

They were followed by the Philippines, Lebanon, Mali, Bangladesh, Chad, Guatemala, South Africa, Jamaica, Thailand and the Democratic Republic of Congo. 

In 2015, the Philippines ranked lower at 128th behind Jamaica, Russian Federation, Myanmar and Mexico.  

Overall, the country ranked 79th based on all indicators of the report, down five notches from the last assessment. 

“The travel and tourism sector continues to develop on the back of the country’s rich natural resources (37th) and high price competitiveness (22nd), and arrivals have continued to grow so far,” the report said.

“Although the Philippines’ travel and tourism potential remains high, there are several areas where policy interventions could help to regain competitiveness,” it added. 

Last year, there was also a reported resurgence of kidnap-for-ransom incidents in the country.