Security issues

El Salvador: Security Issues Prompt Updated Travel Warning

Date: January 30th, 2013 |

The U.S. Dept. of State has updated its travel warning to reflect ongoing security issues in El Salvador. Crime and violence continue to be serious problems throughout the country, and while U.S. citizens do not appear to be targeted specifically, 22 Americans have been murdered there in the past two years. Extortion, kidnapping and passport [read more]

Honduras: Tourist Killed for a Camera in San Pedro Sula

Date: January 23rd, 2013 |

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A British tourist was shot and killed for his camera while walking around San Pedro Sula on Jan. 15. The 33-year-old man, who was nearing the end of a month-long trip, was mugged on a residential street and then murdered when he struggled with his armed assailants over the camera and his small bag of [read more]

Kenya: U.S. Issues Updated Travel Warning

Date: January 20th, 2013 |

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The U.S. State Dept. has updated its travel warning for Kenya as of Jan. 14. U.S. citizens are being advised of recently heightened threats from violent crime and terrorism in some parts of the country, including bombings, kidnappings and potential threats to civil aviation and maritime ports. Since Kenya formally aligned with the African Union [read more]

Thailand: Gunfire Kills British Tourist at Beach Party

Date: January 9th, 2013 |

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Caught in the crossfire between local gang members, a 26-year-old British tourist was shot and killed at a New Year’s Eve beach party on Koh Phangan. Since its full moon parties became a worldwide attraction in the late 1990s, the 65-square-mile island has seen tourism skyrocket along with violent crime. An estimated 180,000 visitors descended [read more]

Egypt: Political Unrest Keeping Tourists Away

Date: December 26th, 2012 |

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As voting day approached last week for a new constitution, protestors clashed with security forces in the port city of Alexandria, throwing rocks and setting two buses alight. Waves of protests have been sweeping the nation since November, when President Morsi made several unpopular decrees, and despite attempts to lure tourists back after the revolution, [read more]

Tanzania: U.S. Embassy Warns of Street Crime Wave

Date: January 30th, 2013 |

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A spike in street crime has prompted the U.S. Embassy in Dar es Salaam to issue an emergency message to its citizens. In the past three months alone, more than 20 U.S. citizens have been victims of a violent assault. Taxi robbery is increasingly common, along with bag snatching, burglary, hotel robbery and ATM “express” [read more]

Haiti: Government Refutes U.S. Travel Warning

Date: January 20th, 2013 |

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Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe objected to an updated travel warning, issued by the U.S. State Dept. Dec. 28, that cited problems such as violent crime, cholera outbreaks and lack of infrastructure—particularly medical and emergency services. Calling the warning unfair, Lamothe said it singled out Haiti at a time when the island nation is trying to [read more]

Indonesia: Police Foil Terrorist Plot on Sulawesi and Sumbawa

Date: January 9th, 2013 |

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National police killed seven suspected terrorists and arrested four more in a series of recent raids, thwarting a planned attack on tourist hot-spots on Sulawesi and Sumbawa. The terrorists were targeting hotels, churches and police buildings in the Sumbawa town of Bima and Tana Toraja in south Sulawesi, authorities said. Both places are popular tourist [read more]

Haiti: Poor Infrastructure Complicates Travel Risks

Date: January 2nd, 2013 |

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The U.S. Dept. of State has issued an updated travel warning for Haiti, citing issues such as violent crime, severe weather, cholera outbreaks and infrastructure that is “unable to fully support even normal activity, much less crisis situations.” As Haiti cannot provide adequate security, medical facilities or emergency response systems, those who visit are urged [read more]

North Korea: U.S. Tourist Detained While on Vacation

Date: December 20th, 2012 |

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A Korean-American tourist who was visiting the country on a five-day tour has been detained, possibly because he took photographs of some of the thousands of homeless, starving children in the north, hoping to publicize their plight. Details of the case have been impossible to confirm, since the notoriously secretive government refuses to confirm or [read more]

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