The safest places to visit in 2022
In conjunction with the upcoming 65th anniversary of its first publication in 1957, Frommer’s has revealed a special list of elite destinations: the Safest Places to Go in the coming year.
Using what they claim is a host of internationally respected measures including the Global Peace Index by the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP) and the World Health Organization (WHO), the writers and editors of Frommer’s collaborated to devise a concise roster of potential vacation locations that have ranked at the top of their class in a range of health-and-safety-related categories that are useful to travelers.
The list is designed to spark discussion and inspire travel in our era of increased caution. Here is their list:
Best healthcare: Norway
Cleanest air: Southern Ocean
Cleanest water: Puerto Williams, Southern Chile
Most peaceful (global): Iceland
Least self-harm: The Caribbean
Most peaceful (Latin America): Costa Rica
Safest U.S. state for pedestrians: Vermont
Safest U.S. state for cycling: Washington
Longest life expectancy: Japan
To me, at least, the list seems to be a rather ‘mixed bag’. Why we have a place for the most peaceful country globally, as well as one for Latin America, but not for any other parts of the world, seems a little odd and inconsistent. Similarly, they announce the safest US states for pedestrians and cyclists (but not for drivers, interestingly), yet there is no information presented for this on a global basis. As for announcing where the least self-harm is, that seems rather weird also… would you even ever use this as a criterion for choosing where to travel?! The idea that if you go on holiday to the Caribbean, you are then somehow less likely to engage in self-harm, seems absurd to me.
In 2021, the Global Peace Index declared these 10 countries as the safest countries in the world:
1. Iceland
2. New Zealand
3. Portugal
4. Austria
5. Denmark
6. Canada
7. Singapore
8. Czech Republic
9. Japan
10. Switzerland
Only two of these – Iceland and Japan – get a mention in Frommer’s list.
I also find it odd to see no mention of COVID. Deep Knowledge Group’s report – which looks at factors such as quarantine efficiency, government efficiency, monitoring and detection, healthcare readiness, country vulnerability and emergency preparedness, came up with a list that claims these countries are the ‘safest’ when it comes to COVID:
1. Germany
2. New Zealand
3. South Korea
4. Switzerland
5. Japan
6. Australia
7. China
8. Austria
9. United Arab Emirates
10. Singapore
Only one of these – Japan again – makes Frommer’s list.
What places would you class as the safest to visit in 2022?
The countries included for good performance with COVID are strange, when you look at poor vaccine uptake in Germany, Switzerland, Austria for instance, the figures for Italy are much better. Then factor in the unrest associated with anti vax groups makes the choice dubious.
Hi John
Yes, it’s intriguing, isn’t it?
In the research, Germany scores exceptionally well for government efficiency and healthcare readiness (higher than any other country for both those factors).
Italy is ranked 43rd in the list, and Germany, Switzerland and Austria each score higher than Italy in every one of the 6 factors being assessed.
Social unrest and vaccination take-up are not factors in their own right in the research, but I assume they must play at least some part in things such as ‘country vulnerability’, for instance.
You can see the full list, and all the factors and individual scores, if you are interested, at https://www.dkv.global/covid-safety-assessment-250-list
Kind regards
Paul