Life

The rankings, overseen by Tourlane Head of Safety Johann Jones, assembled data collected on 10 August and analysed various metrics that can affect one’s holidays overseas amidst the coronavirus pandemic.  These criteria include hours of sunshine per day for outdoor activities as well the national 14-day notification rates of new COVID-19 cases published by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC).

Also taken into account for the list are each country’s population density and its International Health Regulations capacity score (IHR), which evaluates a country’s ability to respond to public health risks and emergencies of national and international concern.

Thailand was ranked the safest destination in the world to visit during the pandemic, with the Asian country sitting on top of the list thanks to its IHR score of 85%, moderate population density, and very low number of COVID-19 cases. It is worth noting that the Thai borders are currently closed to all but a handful of diplomats and business people, making any holiday plans in the country very unlikely until 2021.

However, Tourlane revealed that Jordan and French Polynesia were the second- and third-best destinations  respectively for international travelers looking for escapism despite the global health crisis.  Greece is the European destination with the highest ranking (no. 4), followed by Italy (no. 6) and Ireland (no. 9).  Meanwhile, Uruguay is the only country from Latin America to appear on the list (no. 5), as the region continues to experience rapid spread of the novel coronavirus with 576,583 new infections reported in the last seven days.

These are the ten safest destinations across the world:

1. Thailand

2. Jordan

3. French Polynesia

4. Greece

5. Uruguay

6. Italy

7. Cambodia

8. Japan

9. Ireland

10. Botswana