Finland has been named the world's safest country for travelers in this year's edition of the highly regarded Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report from the World Economic Forum.
The annual study rates 136 nations according to a variety of factors, including natural resources, transportation infrastructure, environmental sustainability, and several others. Overall, Spain was found to be the most tourist-friendly country for 2017.
But when it comes to safety and security, measured in the report by the extent to which a country exposes tourists to risks of violence and terrorism, Finland took top honors, followed by the United Arab Emirates and Iceland. A country's rate of petty crime is not taken into account.
Though the United States ranked sixth overall in travel competitiveness, it came in a dismal 84th place in the safety category, between the West African nation of Benin and South America's Ecuador.
The least safe country, according to the report, is Colombia, followed by Yemen and El Salvador.
