In a new travel advisory ranking system, The US state department has labelled the UK as dangerous for tourists as the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Algeria.
Launched on January 10, under this new security system, the US divides countries into four levels of danger for its citizens. In a warning matching the country with the Congo and Zimbabwe, it states there is “heightened risks to safety and security”. The UK has been designated as Level 2, advising travellers to “exercise increased caution” and “be aware of heightened risks to safety and security.”
The advisory states “Terrorists may attack with little or no warning, targeting tourist locations, transportation hubs, markets/shopping malls, local government facilities, hotels, clubs, restaurants, places of worship, parks, major sporting and cultural events, educational institutions, airports, and other public areas… be aware of your surroundings when travelling to tourist locations and crowded public venues.”
According to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), the advice puts the threat level to the UK from international terrorism at “severe”, which is just one below the highest level of “critical” which is defined as an attack expected immediately.
Interestingly, the new US rating makes the UK at par with Democratic Republic of Congo which is also at level 2 and is ranked 13th in the 2017 Global Terrorism Index, a guide to the countries hit hardest by terrorism. Algeria is also on Level 2 and the FCO states “terrorist attacks have focused on the Algerian state, but attacks could be indiscriminate and include foreigners.”
France, Spain, Italy and Germany are the other countries to be included in Level 2 as a result of the threat of terrorism.
A spokesperson from the FCO said: “Britain continues to be a safe and attractive destination for foreign visitors.”
Tags: Travel advisory, UK, US
