DailyFinance has released its top 10 list of countries on the US State Department’s travel warning database that should be visited. The countries are ranked according to how much tourism contributes to the GDP of the country. Therefore, no surprises, Lebanon ranks first:
- Lebanon – 37.6% of GDP
- Mexico – 12.7%
- Saudi Arabia – 9.5%
- Kenya – 9%
- Iran – 8.4%
- Nepal – 7.4%
- The Philippines – 6.9%
- Israel, the West Bank and Gaza – 6.4%
- Russia – 6%
- Colombia – 5.3%
The last advisory update from the State Department is dated March 29, 2010 and reads:
The Department of State continues to urge U.S. citizens to avoid all travel to Lebanon due to current safety and security concerns. U.S. citizens living and working in Lebanon should understand that they accept risks in remaining and should carefully consider those risks.
In total, 31 countries appear on the list.
The US hopes to avoid the 2006 scene above by advising nationals to avoid Lebanon - Photo from US Department of Defense