# What cities have the greatest crime against tourists



## Carlcoxmi6ciapayroll (Apr 5, 2008)

What cities have the greatest crime against tourists??

We're always warned about war torn countries, ones with natural disasters going on and maybe ones with epidemics like the SARS one in Eastern Canada but what about crime against tourists?

I'm thinking 

MIAMI (USA)
BOGOTA (colombia)
WASHINGTON (USA)
LOS ANGELES

where else?


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## Jonesy55 (Jul 30, 2004)

Lots of pickpockets and petty thieves in many European cities, Barcelona for instance, also parts of London, Paris, Rome and others.

However the most dangerous have to be those with a high violent crime rate, Johannesburg, Rio de Janeiro, Kingston (Jamaica) maybe?


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## TallBox (Sep 21, 2002)

When I was in Mexico City, I was bricking it.

Prague was bad for petty offences like pickpocketing.


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## urbanfan89 (May 30, 2007)

SARS? wtf are you thinking?


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## Küsel (Sep 16, 2004)

You all post clichee places. Go once to Tana or Harare or Medan or even Rio as a "white European" and you will be just a target because of you look. Not that something HAS to happen actually, but please don't compare it with London or Paris or Barcelona where pickpocketing can happen also to locals and these are also more in threat of burglary than you in your hotel.


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## Minato ku (Aug 9, 2005)

Nice or Cannes with the cars jacking.


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## Xusein (Sep 27, 2005)

SARS epidemic in Eastern Canada? Maybe in 2003, but you're about 5 years too late, mate.


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## schmidt (Dec 5, 2002)

Unfortunately Rio is pretty dangerous for tourists...

And unless you're not Portuguese/Spanish/Italian, you won't look Brazilian at all and sadly you might become a easy target for thieves.


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## Xusein (Sep 27, 2005)

Küsel said:


> You all post clichee places. Go once to Tana or *Harare *or Medan or even Rio as a "white European" and you will be just a target because of you look. Not that something HAS to happen actually, but please don't compare it with London or Paris or Barcelona where pickpocketing can happen also to locals and these are also more in threat of burglary than you in your hotel.


People in Harare are too busy worrying about their election than hitting White Europeans. The turn of events with the election there are not look good, IMHO.

(ok, end off-topic mode)


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## FIDEL CASTRO (Nov 20, 2007)

Mobile


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## Carlcoxmi6ciapayroll (Apr 5, 2008)

Wow, I didn't say that Sars was still around in Eastern Canada, although I live not far from Toronto and know all to well what's here and yes people still walk around with masks. I didn't mention any times and dates. I just noted that these are the kind of warnings tourists get, in the same vain as natural disaster warnings etc. that's all. Don't panic!


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## Carlcoxmi6ciapayroll (Apr 5, 2008)

Yes I agree for petty theft places like some of the European cities are notorious. I've been pickpocketted in London myself. 

But a good friend of mine was held up at gun point (a rifle) in a driving incident, for the pleasure of being cut off. She had done absolutely nothing wrong except give a look of disgust, which is more than reasonable, right? The guy was in a truck and when he got the chance he waited until he could drive beside her and point it directly at her head through the window!! This was in Miami. And a very similar incident was in Houston. Although not so bad. In LA, another friend was shot dead while entering a nightclub in a drive by. He was a tourist and didn't duck when someone said 'duck'. And that isn't funny for those that are laughing. In Bogota a collegue of a friend was shot dead for mistaken identity by a drug group. I think these are reasonable concerns for tourists. What does everyone think?


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## Carlcoxmi6ciapayroll (Apr 5, 2008)

10ROT said:


> People in Harare are too busy worrying about their election than hitting White Europeans. The turn of events with the election there are not look good, IMHO.
> 
> (ok, end off-topic mode)


Yes I have heard Rio has no go areas. But Brazil is so beautiful, it's hard to resist and I would loveeeeee to go there still. I don't know about those other places though.


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## Carlcoxmi6ciapayroll (Apr 5, 2008)

Jonesy55 said:


> Lots of pickpockets and petty thieves in many European cities, Barcelona for instance, also parts of London, Paris, Rome and others.
> 
> However the most dangerous have to be those with a high violent crime rate, Johannesburg, Rio de Janeiro, Kingston (Jamaica) maybe?


Yeah I forgot the caribbean. Barbados is heinous as I understand it.


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## javi itzhak (Mar 4, 2008)

Rio, central american cities, Mexico city, Miami, Johannesburg, Lima, Cairo, Sao Paulo, among many others...


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## Ribarca (Jan 28, 2005)

The only place we got pickpotted was Lisbon. But generally the chance of getting pickpocketedis equally big in all big cities in Europe. Luckily there is little violence involved normally. I guess that's different in the U.S. and Latin America and some African nations.


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## dudujpa (Mar 31, 2008)

it's my first post on skyscrapercity so i'm having some difficult
i'm from rio so i guess i can show you what i see here my city

the robbers do not choose who to rob by the fact he's a tourist or a native
they difference who are they gonna rob if he has money or not, that's why there's a robbery concentration on expensive neiberhoods,like the ones in south zone(copacabana,ipanema,lagoa,etc),which are the places most tourists want to visit,to see,and everyone thinks that here we have a big problem with tourist robbers 'cause that is what the news show so you have a wrongh idea of tourism in rio
so don't be afraid it's not that violent but if you still affraid visit other places that is not on common tourist plans.

thanks for the attention.


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## Xusein (Sep 27, 2005)

Carlcoxmi6ciapayroll said:


> Yes I have heard Rio has no go areas. But Brazil is so beautiful, it's hard to resist and I would loveeeeee to go there still. I don't know about those other places though.


Well, I don't really know much about Rio or Brazil. I'd love to visit it too.


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## MARACUCHisimo (May 13, 2006)

Venezuelan cities are pretty dangerous for tourists too.


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## Küsel (Sep 16, 2004)

javi itzhak said:


> Rio, central american cities, Mexico city, Miami, Johannesburg, Lima, Cairo, Sao Paulo, among many others...


Sao Paulo is overrated in crime. I was living there as a not perfectly speaking European and nothing ever happend even though I was living in a not too save suburb. Also several people I know were in Sampa and never made any negative experience.

Crime rate is still above avarage compared to European cities but it concentrates first by victims and offender to men age 18 to 25 and second to favelas which you don't want to visit. Even though I was in several Favelas and survived  Third crime rate is dropping quite rapidly in steadily wealthier Sao Paulo. The difference to Rio is: it's not a touristic city. In Rio you have the beaches where all the tourists concentrate and the locals want to cheat them over their money. Also the geographical division between rich and poor is stunning there. One block of rich apartments just next to the worst favelas - and in the city center where the tourists are. And THAT is making the difference. And you just don't WANT to visit Rio's CBD on a weekend or at night - one of the few places on earth I really got afraid and walked off asap.


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## Bahnsteig4 (Sep 9, 2005)

Are you going there BECAUSE of crime? Or are you trying to find out whether it's _too_ bad?


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## Mariachi McMuffin (Mar 28, 2008)

Bahnsteig4 said:


> Are you going there BECAUSE of crime? Or are you trying to find out whether it's _too_ bad?


The last part. :lol:


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## JPBrazil (Mar 12, 2007)

[email protected] said:


> From what I've read on travel forums and experienced myself in person
> 
> Very Dangerous: Caracas, Johannesburg, Rio de Janeiro, Kingston, Bogota, Sao Paulo, Lagos, Guatemala City, Port-au-Prince
> 
> Dangerous: Manila, Moscow, Mexico City, Casablanca, Cape Town, Nairobi, Lima, Durban, La Paz, Quito


Sao Paulo is NOT very dangerous, I've been to both Rio and Sao Paulo and you can't rate them the same level...


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## [email protected] (Jan 17, 2004)

/\

True, I'm well aware of the fact that Sao Paulo's crime rate is sinking, while Rio's is still on the rise. But we are not comparing cities on a Brazilian level here, but on a world level and compared to the major cities in Europe and Asia they are indeed both quite dangerous.


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## Xtreminal (Mar 8, 2008)

poshbakerloo said:


> I don't totally agree with that because I lived there (Moscow) for a few years and never encountered any problems


You should visit now...In last 3 months they killed 36 non-russian people...Half of world's nazi skinheads live in Russia.


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## Svartmetall (Aug 5, 2007)

[email protected] said:


> From what I've read on travel forums and experienced myself in person
> 
> Very Dangerous: Caracas, Johannesburg, Rio de Janeiro, Kingston, Bogota, Sao Paulo, Lagos, Guatemala City, Port-au-Prince
> 
> Dangerous: Manila, Moscow, Mexico City, Casablanca, Cape Town, Nairobi, Lima, Durban, La Paz, Quito


I would have stuck Durban up there with Jo'Berg and put St Petersburg instead of Moscow.


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## D.D. (Nov 26, 2007)

Why do I keep hearing bogota as dangerous for tourist????? this thread is too biased :down:


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## Tom_Green (Sep 4, 2004)

Xtreminal said:


> You should visit now...In last 3 months they killed 36 non-russian people...Half of world's nazi skinheads live in Russia.


Do they also kill white European tourists or toursts at all? Nazis targeting tourists demaging there own country. Financial and image wise.


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## Mukaltin (Feb 25, 2006)

Xtreminal said:


> You should visit now...In last 3 months they killed 36 non-russian people...Half of world's nazi skinheads live in Russia.


Sorry what? In the city with 10 mln population, in 3 months, 36 people of non-native origin were killed? This is ridiculous.
You are talking about very dangerous cities of Yerevan and Moscow... Baku is a tolerant paradise, yes? A city with a lot of gay clubs and people who dont pay any attention on other people's nationality, say, Armenian... hno:


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## Iggui (May 17, 2005)

[email protected] said:


> From what I've read on travel forums and experienced myself in person
> 
> Very Dangerous: Caracas, Johannesburg, Rio de Janeiro, Kingston, Bogota, Sao Paulo, Lagos, Guatemala City, Port-au-Prince
> 
> Dangerous: Manila, Moscow, Mexico City, Casablanca, Cape Town, Nairobi, Lima, Durban, La Paz, Quito


i generally agree with you, however i don't think la paz bolivia is a dangerous city. even as a chilean (they hate chileans in bolivia) i never for a minute felt threatened or saw anything remotely dangerous. i don't know what the stats are, perhaps you're right, but i didn't get that impression in the least.


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## Küsel (Sep 16, 2004)

[email protected] said:


> /\
> 
> True, I'm well aware of the fact that Sao Paulo's crime rate is sinking, while Rio's is still on the rise. But we are not comparing cities on a Brazilian level here, but on a world level and compared to the major cities in Europe and Asia they are indeed both quite dangerous.


You are right... but not quite. Sao Paulo is for its size a quite save city in Brazil but still above avarage compared to Europe or NA. Anyway - see it from a point of view of a visitor. Then I would say you feel much more unsave and unsecure in Moscow, Detroit, Napoli or parts of Paris (I don't know Istanbul or EE cities very well) than in most parts of Sampa (apart from the favelas, but who visits the beaulieux in Paris!). 25 do Marco or St Efigenia look chaotic but you are quite save, just watch out for pickpockets - but this you have to even here in Zurich, where I met once a girl from Brazil that never made any bad experiences at home but one of the first days here was robbed in the McDonalds in the center of Zurich!


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## madao (Feb 18, 2007)

[email protected] said:


> From what I've read on travel forums and experienced myself in person
> 
> Very Dangerous: Caracas, Johannesburg, Rio de Janeiro, Kingston, Bogota, Sao Paulo, Lagos, Guatemala City, Port-au-Prince
> 
> Dangerous: Manila, Moscow, Mexico City, _Casablanca_, Cape Town, Nairobi, Lima, Durban, La Paz, Quito




have you been to casablanca?


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## [email protected] (Jan 17, 2004)

Küsel said:


> but this you have to even here in Zurich, where I met once a girl from Brazil that never made any bad experiences at home but one of the first days here was robbed in the McDonalds in the center of Zurich!


What is it with pickpockets and fast food joints in all of the major European cities. Like half of the people I know who had stuff stolen, lost it there. It's probably the punishment for their bad taste and unhealthy eating habits 



madao said:


> have you been to casablanca?


Yes and it's actually the only city where I've become the victim of an armed robbery. Lost my camera and some cash. Another tourist who stayed in my hotel was also mugged by some guys with knives at the same evening and even lost his passport and credit cards. At the police station they told me that muggers especially target tourists (so locals might be safer) and that armed robberies have unfortunately become quite commonplace there. I was also spit in the face there by someone without any reason, so there seems to be some hostility towards tourists or westerners as well. I had some nasty experiences in Mexico City and Istanbul before, but never something on the level like in Casablanca.

I would say Morocco in general is quite safe and hospitable to tourists, Casablanca however seems to be an exception.



svartmetall said:


> put St Petersburg instead of Moscow.


I was under the impression that St. Petersburg is safer than Moscow. Well, anyway it won't put me off from visiting St. Petersburg soon.


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## HappyGiuseppe (Apr 3, 2008)

Carlcoxmi6ciapayroll said:


> What cities have the greatest crime against tourists??
> 
> We're always warned about war torn countries, ones with natural disasters going on and maybe ones with epidemics like the SARS one in Eastern Canada but what about crime against tourists?
> 
> ...


I'm Colombian, and this is just a stereotype.

Just some statistics:

- Bogotá and Medellín are cities safer than Caracas, Rio, Mexico city, Sao Paulo and even Washington (http://www.comunidadesegura.org/?q=en/node/31987).


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## Iggui (May 17, 2005)

HappyGiuseppe said:


> I'm Colombian, and this is just a stereotype.
> 
> Just some statistics:
> 
> - Bogotá and Medellín are cities safer than Caracas, Rio, Mexico city, Sao Paulo and even Washington (http://www.comunidadesegura.org/?q=en/node/31987).


but those are all "dangerous" cities you listed, so the fact that bogota or medellin are less dangerous than other dangerous cities does not make either of them safe destinations either.


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## Xpressway (Dec 2, 2006)

i'll say about BIG cities, and their touristic areas, not the ghettos.

I felt/feel really safe in Miami, La Havana, Cartagena de Indias, Santiago.

*I didn't feel safe in:*

Salvador de Bahia: Lots of dark zones, bad ass people in the beaches, bad police.

Buenos Aires: Last month my dad was robed in Buenos Aires while having lunch, a guy jumped over him and cut his wristwatch, then he left on a motorbike. Bad police.


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## Küsel (Sep 16, 2004)

[email protected] said:


> What is it with pickpockets and fast food joints in all of the major European cities. Like half of the people I know who had stuff stolen, lost it there. It's probably the punishment for their bad taste and unhealthy eating habits


...and I hardly know everybody in Zurich whose flat has not been robbed at least once. That's true! Once I came home at 4pm!!! And they broke into all 3 flats on my floor before they were interrupted and run away. And I was not living in a slum or in an extremly wealthy area. But unfortunatly it's just normal here. In BR you are robbed on the streets, here in your flat.

I still think crime is very uncommon here. As I said worst thing that can happen to you is pickpockets, or someone steals your mobile phone out of your car or your jewlery out of your flat...


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## JimMasters (Apr 14, 2008)

Somalia has all kinds of ongoing problems sadly. 
Somalia is a small, developing country in the Horn of Africa. It has had no government since the onset of civil war in 1991. That year, the northwest part of the country proclaimed itself the Republic of Somaliland, and it now has its own governing authority although its economy is linked with the rest of the country. The northeastern section of Somalia, which is semi-autonomous, is known as Puntland. Somalia's economy was seriously damaged by the civil war and its aftermath, but the private sector is trying to reemerge. Tourism facilities are non-existent. The principal city of Somalia is Mogadishu. The principal city of Somaliland is Hargeisa. Other cities and towns of importance include the port of Bosasso in the northeast, the port of Kismayu in the South, Baidoa, and Garowe. 

CRIME: With the exception of Somaliland, crime is an extension of the general state of insecurity. Serious and violent crimes are very common. Kidnapping and robbery are a particular problem in Mogadishu and other areas in the south. Also Somali terrorists are pushing forward into parts of Ethiopia such as Ogandenia, further increasing the ever rising crime rate. 

MEDICAL FACILITIES: Medical facilities in Somalia are extremely limited. Travellers should carry personal supplies of medicines and medications with them.



More than 25 mill. people are infected by HIV in the subsaharian Africa.

Arthropodborne diseases are a great problem in this region af Africa.

We recommend:

Usage of long-sleeved shirt and long pants to wear whenever possible while outside, to prevent illnesses carried by insects 
Usage of insect repellent containing DEET (diethylmethyltoluamide), in 30%–35% strength for adults and 6%–10% for children. Unless you are staying in air-conditioned or well-screened housing 
Usage of a bed net impregnated with the insecticide permethrin. 
Staying and sleeping in air-conditioned houses 
Arthropod borne diseases:

Malaria 
Filariasis 
Leishamaniasis 
Relapsing fever 
Epidemic typhus 
Water- and foodborne diseases: 

Cholera 
Amoebiasis 
Hepatitis A 
Hepatitis E 
Typhoid fever 
Giardiasis 
ETEC E.coli 
Other diseases:

Hepatitis B 
Trachoma 
HIV 
Poliomyelitis 
Schistosomiasis (Bilharziasis) 
Meningitis 
Vaccinations recommended:

Hepatitis A or Immune Globulin (IG) 
Hepatitis B or Immune Globulin 
Meningitis 
Typhoid fever - vaccination is particularly important because of the presence of S. typhi strains resistant to multiple antibiotics in this region 
Rabies - if risk for contact with wild or domestic animals 
A booster for tetanus/diphtheria - if not covered which indicates not vaccinated within th last 10 years. 
Stay healthy:

Wash hands often with soap and water; 
Drink only boiled water, or water and carbonated (bubbly) drinks in cans; 
Avoid tap water, fountain drinks, and ice cubes; 
Eat only thoroughly cooked food or fruits and vegetables you have peeled yourself. Remember: boil it, cook it, peel it, or forget it; 
Protect yourself from insects by remaining in well-screened areas, using repellents (applied sparingly at 4-hour intervals) and permethrin-impregnated mosquito nets, and wearing long-sleeved shirts and long pants from dusk through dawn; 
Prevent fungal and parasitic infections, keep feet clean and dry, and do not go barefoot; 
Do not travel at night; 
Trafic accidents are frequent, be careful; 
Always use latex condoms to reduce the risk of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases; 
Don't eat food purchased from street vendors; 
Use mefloquine as malaria prophylaxis.(Chloroquine resistance)


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## Occit (Jul 24, 2005)

HappyGiuseppe said:


> I'm Colombian, and this is just a stereotype.
> 
> Just some statistics:
> 
> - Bogotá and Medellín are cities safer than Caracas, Rio, Mexico city, Sao Paulo and even Washington (http://www.comunidadesegura.org/?q=en/node/31987).


*Another Colombian defaming Venezuela, damn get a life!* :bash:


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## dudujpa (Mar 31, 2008)

not even the media that always want to put us down is talking about crimes against tourists in Rio, come here and prove by yourselves!


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## alejoaoa (May 11, 2006)

jmok said:


> Medellin Colombia looks beautiful.....I love the cable cars......


But you have to know that that zone is one of the most poor zones in Medellin. Medellin has also very rich zones.


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## Iggui (May 17, 2005)

i don't see why you 'HAVE' to go to a city to tell whether or not it's dangerous. statistics may not tell all, but they say a lot.

it's impossible to tell a colombian he lives in a dangerous country. they always say it's lies, or you don't know, or you dont' live there, or you haven't been there, etc. even when presented with their own government's statistics, they come out with shit like "oh, well, you can't trust the colombian government/police on that issue".

i would like the colombians to post some of the crime rates for their cities and regions to see if it really is all just the entire world conspiring against them. you can't refute hard facts with a bunch of pretty pictures. 

i agree that the situtuation in colombia has improved in the past decade and that the world probably has an exaggerated sense of criminality and violence for the country, but colombians take this too far in saying that it's just a "leyend" or lies. come on now hno:.


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## alejoaoa (May 11, 2006)

Medellin is not the same city as in the 90's:

"The indexes of violent deaths has reduced from 350 of every 100 thousand inhabitants in 1991 to 27 of every 100 thousand inhabitants last year".

It is a leyend, at least Medellin is not of the world's most dangerous cities anymore. It is safer than Washington, Miami, and I'm pretty sure it's one of the safest cities in Latin America. Colombian forests are not safe, but colombian cities are.


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## alejoaoa (May 11, 2006)

Look, in 2005 the city security was pretty good but now it's even better. And, although I can't tell you that Medellin or Colombia are the safest places in the world, 'cause they aren't I can tell you that it is a safe city. I know better than anyone here, because ten years ago they were bombs coming and going like every hour and now, it's been more than 8 years ago that i don't hear bombs, nor gunshots, etc...









Each year, the homicide rate is being reduced almost a half.


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## LAR99 (Apr 27, 2007)

Alejo, no matter what you post about Medellin's overcomming in public security and lower crime rates, that guy is still going to say "oh no, dangerous, dangerous, dangerous no matter what you say D:". So yep, that guy beleives he's a criminologist without having travelled to Colombia at least once in his life.


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## MILIUX (Sep 13, 2002)

Officially it is the Vatican city. Since Italy has no legal jurisdiction over the Vatican city, it cannot investigate what happens in the vatican soil.

Pick pocketing is rife there.


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## Iggui (May 17, 2005)

LAR99 said:


> Alejo, no matter what you post about Medellin's overcomming in public security and lower crime rates, that guy is still going to say "oh no, dangerous, dangerous, dangerous no matter what you say D:". So yep, that guy beleives he's a criminologist without having travelled to Colombia at least once in his life.


if i were a criminologist, i would already know how dangerous medellin or colombia are w/o having to ask . but since i'm not and i don't, i appreciate the previous colombiano's postings. (¿so you're saying i _would_ be a criminologist if i had travelled to colombia? what an odd thing to say.)

33,2/100k humans is a huge huge improvement over what it once was, and my congratulations to colombians on that, however you can't say that's not a high number of murders. it's still a dangerous city. not the most dangerous to be sure (detroit has a higher murder rate, around 39/100k, and i would not call it a safe city) but one can't possibly call it a safe city either.


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## alejoaoa (May 11, 2006)

In 2008 it was 24 of 100.000, not 33,2 as in 2005.


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## Commissaire Maigret (Apr 30, 2008)

It´s hard to know, but I always heard that Brazil is a quite dangerous place to visit

:runaway:


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## BNE01 (Mar 29, 2008)

I don't believe that La Paz has been mentioned as a dangerous city on this thread. I was there last year and spent a few days wandering around by myself at all hours of the day without ever having a problem. 

Also, while Centro in Lima is probably dangerous, Miraflores (where all the tourist hotels are) is pretty safe. Again, I wandered around at all hours without having any problems.

Bolivia and Peru are such amazing places, it would be sad not to go there just because of hyped up concerns about security.

I am thinking of going to Guatemala at the moment. Now that I am concerned about with all the reports of gun crime!


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## LAR99 (Apr 27, 2007)

I hope I could say the same but in one week I stayed in Lima I saw like 6 robberies. Just garbage on streets, disorder, crime and insecurity. And when I crossed by car the frontier to Perú, I saw one roberry to a turist! A taxi-chofer stealing some tourist backbag!. If Lima were safe then Quito be probably the safest city in the world.


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## Iggui (May 17, 2005)

BNE01 said:


> I don't believe that La Paz has been mentioned as a dangerous city on this thread. I was there last year and spent a few days wandering around by myself at all hours of the day without ever having a problem.
> 
> Also, while Centro in Lima is probably dangerous, Miraflores (where all the tourist hotels are) is pretty safe. Again, I wandered around at all hours without having any problems.
> 
> ...


bullets aren't cheap, i wouldn't worry too much about that. i was in guatemala last month, so of course i'm now an expert , but i think the situation is exaggerated. crime exists, to be sure, and there are places best avoided (always ask the locals), but in general the tourist places are pretty safe (i don't mean resorts, i'm mean the towns and places tourists tend to visit). i think it's more dangerous as a guatemalan than as a tourist. the gang problems tend to be more on the poorer outskirts of most towns, places tourists just don't have any reason to go to unless you're into extreme adventure.

the only people i heard of getting robbed in the two weeks i was there were local guatemalan tourists, who got robbed by the police themselves (they took their cell phones, money, and weed)


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## BNE01 (Mar 29, 2008)

Iggui, you are probably right in what you say, its just the travel advisories issued by both the US and Australian governments make interesting reading. I have never been anywhere where gun crime is listed as your major concern. Then there is the recent crime listings on the American Guatemalan Embassy website. Very, very interesting reading! You Americans are losing a tourist a month down there by the looks of things!

It makes going to Peru and Bolivia look like a cake walk!


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## Paddington (Mar 30, 2006)

In America, Miami is most known for tourist shootings, though quite a few tourists got murdered/raped/molested during the Katrina fiasco in New Orleans as well.


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## Commissaire Maigret (Apr 30, 2008)

Paddington said:


> quite a few tourists got murdered/raped/molested during the Katrina fiasco in New Orleans as well.


hno:


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## flesh_is_weak (Jun 16, 2006)

La Cita Del Vaticano of course...thankfully though, these crimes are usually just cases of pickpocketing


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## Iggui (May 17, 2005)

BNE01 said:


> Iggui, you are probably right in what you say, its just the travel advisories issued by both the US and Australian governments make interesting reading. I have never been anywhere where gun crime is listed as your major concern. Then there is the recent crime listings on the American Guatemalan Embassy website. Very, very interesting reading! You Americans are losing a tourist a month down there by the looks of things!
> 
> It makes going to Peru and Bolivia look like a cake walk!


i'm don't want to say what those government websites say is false, but they paint a "worst case scenario" for every country. look up even the safest countries in the world and you come away never wanting to leave your own house. 

even if one american tourist a month is killed off, it's one person among the thousands upon thousands of tourists who visit the country every month, so chances are pretty small no matter how you look at it. just follow the basic rules of the road when travelling and you shouldn't have any problems. in the worst of cases, even if you are mugged, the chances of you getting shot or stabbed are minimal, provided you just "cooperate". seriously, i wouldn't worry about losing your life or being harmed.


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## City Man (Feb 10, 2007)

Well, it's 2010 and I told you it was the paramilitaries who brought Medellin's murder rate down didn't I? This is now accepted as fact by virtually every expert on the subject, tourists have been murdered in the city over the last year as well it's not a good situation. While Medellin was always more dangerous than the worst cities the US has to offer, it's now gone way over anything US cities are capable of and appears to be approaching 2002 levels.

Good points Iggu.


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## City Man (Feb 10, 2007)

Well, it's 2010 and I told you it was the paramilitaries who brought Medellin's murder rate down didn't I? This is now accepted as fact by virtually every expert on the subject, tourists have been murdered in the city over the last year as well it's not a good situation. While Medellin was always more dangerous than the worst cities the US has to offer, it's now gone way over anything US cities are capable of and appears to be approaching 2002 levels.

Good points Iggu.


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## Guest (Jun 30, 2010)

Johannesburg, Kingston, Manila, Cape Town, Rio de Janeiro, Bogota, Mexico City, Caracus and Sao Paulo off the top of my head.


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## Occit (Jul 24, 2005)

TheEmpireCity said:


> Johannesburg, Kingston, Manila, Cape Town, Rio de Janeiro, Bogota, Mexico City, *Caracus* and Sao Paulo off the top of my head.


Where is Cara*cus*? :crazy:


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## Marbur66 (Mar 1, 2009)

eklips said:


> ^^ This never happened to me when over there and I was a teenager, however it's true that *tourists in Prague are just seen as walking cash machines and nothing more*.


In _Prague_? I think you mean _everywhere_.


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## Marbur66 (Mar 1, 2009)

Stormwatch153 said:


> Watch out in Budapest! Taxi drivers are really bad there, I remember in 1996. a man charged me 100 Deutsche Marks for 3km ride, anyway take care...mostly, people will try to take advantage if you show that you're tourist in Budapest.


The statement above pretty much sums up this whole thread. It's all drivel, written by people who heard from a "friend of a friend" or had *ONE* bad personal experience. Taxi drivers are really bad in Budapest, because the guy I quoted above got overcharged. Give me a break. Besides, tourists are prone to getting ripped off pretty much anywhere in the world......it's just the way it is.


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## joninbrisbane (Jun 29, 2006)

Marbur66 said:


> The statement above pretty much sums up this whole thread. It's all drivel, written by people who heard from a "friend of a friend" or had *ONE* bad personal experience. Taxi drivers are really bad in Budapest, because the guy I quoted above got overcharged. Give me a break. Besides, tourists are prone to getting ripped off pretty much anywhere in the world......it's just the way it is.


^^

Hear Hear! This thread is almost enough to scare some people to never leave their own country. So what, something bad _may_ happen. 

If you never go, you'll never know.


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## Chicagoago (Dec 2, 2005)

Paddington said:


> In America, Miami is most known for tourist shootings, though quite a few tourists got murdered/raped/molested during the Katrina fiasco in New Orleans as well.


Tourist shootings?? Are you sure? I remember stories of this happening 15-20 years ago, but I never hear about tourists getting attacked in Miami these days.

I also can't find anything about tourists getting attacked or murdered during Katrina. As the event unfolded, there were dozens of stories of horrid things, rapes, murders, suicides. Once things were cleared out and people investigated, they realized that virtually all of the reported incidents were actually made up by people who were exaggerating a really bad situation. People were reporting tourists getting murdered and raped, babies getting raped, etc. The mayor even got on TV making these claims. People arrived at the Superdowe with totals of at least 200 people dead inside, and mass carnage and attacks on others.  They found 6 people dead. 4 of natural causes, one suicide, and one overdose.

http://www.wsws.org/articles/2005/sep2005/lies-s30.shtml

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2002520986_katmyth26.html



98% of the metro area was evacuated, including all the tourists as far as anyone could tell. Almost every person left in New Orleans when the hurricane hit were impoverished people who could or did not leave. People who didn't have cars or couldn't afford to leave. That's why it was so shocking, and showed on TV how divided this country is based on race.


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## Matthew Lowry (Dec 23, 2009)

Cape Town is safe but NOT GO IN THE TOWNSHIPS THATS JUST STUPIED THING TO DO.


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## yashchauhan (Jun 19, 2009)

Tourist friendly attitude!
Best-any Chinese city!

Worst-any Australian city!

...that comes from my personal experience!!!and i have only been outside india at these two places only apart from Nepal!!


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## Aerin (May 19, 2008)

Rome was an interesting experience for me.

My friends and I travelled to France and Italy by ourselves a couple of years ago. Upon checking into our hotel in Rome, the guy at the front desk warned us to be careful with our belongings. Out of the 8 different hotels that we stayed in during our trip, this was the only hotel that gave us such a warning. Later on, as we were making our way towards the Colosseum, we overheard some tourists talking about how someone just got robbed. Afterwards, when we returned to our hotel, I got into a friendly conversation with one of the housekeepers. I asked her what advice/recommendations she could give me while staying in the city. I was thinking more along the lines of places to check out, interesting souvenir items etc, but the first thing she said was to be alert for pickpockets. The next day, while we were waiting inside a van, the other tourists who were there also started chatting about how one of them or someone they knew got his camera stolen by a kid. 

We also saw this on the ticket machine in the terminal station:










We didn't get robbed during our stay in Rome but we felt that we got ripped off anyway. The same guy at the front desk recommended us to take a tour of the Vatican so we could skip the long lines. He gave the impression that there was a chance that we might not be able to go inside the Vatican Museum if we just go on our own, due to the large volume of visitors. So we decided to take the tour, even if it meant paying a lot more. Next day while waiting to go inside the museum we saw individuals entering the museum with no problem. There were no lines at all! The tour itself wasn't good because the guide bypassed some rather important paintings in the Vatican, such as Raphael's School of Athens.

Anyway, I still like Rome - there are so many things to see and the city itself is beautiful.


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## johnhughes051 (Aug 18, 2010)

Miami and Los Angeles?!? I could just as easily pull out crime statistics for these two cities and prove that they are just as dangerous if not more so than Mexico. What I'd fail to mention is that the high crime areas are those places in town that a typical tourist would have no reason to visit.

The same holds true for Mexico. To date tourists are not overt targets of the drug gang warfare that plagues certain parts of some border cities, along with some towns and cities in northwest Mexican states and Mexico City.


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## Bobdreamz (Sep 12, 2002)

Paddington said:


> In America, Miami is most known for tourist shootings, though quite a few tourists got murdered/raped/molested during the Katrina fiasco in New Orleans as well.


That isn't true either. The last tourist shootings in Miami were in the early 1990s when rental cars had license plates with a specific letter that made them targets of crime. The state of Florida fixed that by removing the letter from plates.
If tourists were still getting shot today tens of millions of tourists wouldn't be coming to the area. Miami is quite safe for tourists.


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## sathya_226 (Mar 26, 2006)

When we say worst countries, the first list that come to my mind is listed below.

1) South Africa
2) Pakistan
3) Brasil - Some selected cities only.

Again best and worst depends upon personal experience and one's paradise may turn out to be another one's hell. 

CHeers.


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## diablo234 (Aug 18, 2008)

O'uitte said:


> Not all the information that the media give are correct or precise... If the paramilitary influence still working in the area, then the guerrilla influence still doing it too... But that happens no more... for all colombians that is scarcely obvious... there are things that is very hard to understand for a foreingner and only the people of the country can know about it...


To be honest I was just in Colombia (Bogota and Cartagena) and I have felt safer there compared with many US cities. The cops actually do their jobs and are very helpful (ie giving directions, not expecting a bribe, etc). The fact that most locals knew who the thugs were certainly helped out as well in that regard.

Most of the guerilla and paramilitary influence has been pushed out into the remote areas and along the border with Venezuela.

I would probably agree with the other poster that crime is much worse in South Africa. When your society invents things such as anti-rape condoms and anti carjacking flamethrowers you have a serious crime problem.


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## Letter16 (Jul 8, 2010)

*i'm from johannesburg*

i dont usually pay much attention to these "list" posts but as it involved crime i thought i'd take a peak in the perverse anticipation that i might find some stereo typical sensationalised observations on south africa and in particular johannesburg. 

south africa's crime statistics make for dangerous reading but some of what is being said about johannesburg and south africa on this thread is rediculous.
300 000 murders every six months? car jacking flame throwers? anti rape condoms? media likes to package places and peoples to make reporting and selling of their stories easier. south africa-crime,hiv. africa-disease,war,poverty,corruption. columbia-drugs, murder. america -arrogant, fat, stupid etc. the flame thrower was a wacky invention which fit into media's profile of the stories they want to do about south africa. no one has one. i havent even heard about the condom. there are crazy paranoid people creating loony inventions everywhere in the world but no one is printing their stories. 

the same media machine that reported on these obsure inventions is the same one that predictated mass slaughter of fans, natural disaters and incapacity before the football world cup. its easy to hold such narrow views if you form your opinion of the world from page fillers on page 13 with a syndicated story about anti-rape condoms.
the reasons for crime, how and where it occurs and how it is reported is complicated; south africa is a complicated country. 

i have no numbers but i can say with confidence that i believe the incidence of crime against tourists in johannesburg is nowhere near the apocalytic levels that are being suggested here. johannesburg is an intimidating and fear gripped city but johannesburg's criminality is not tourist focused.


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## miami305 (May 20, 2009)

johnhughes051 said:


> Miami and Los Angeles?!? I could just as easily pull out crime statistics for these two cities and prove that they are just as dangerous if not more so than Mexico. What I'd fail to mention is that the high crime areas are those places in town that a typical tourist would have no reason to visit.
> 
> The same holds true for Mexico. To date tourists are not overt targets of the drug gang warfare that plagues certain parts of some border cities, along with some towns and cities in northwest Mexican states and Mexico City.


Miami and Los Angeles more dangerous than Mexico City???? :nuts: You are jokking right? If this why a lot of "famous" people from Mexico have second homes in Miami and/or Los Angeles because of the constant violent, kidnappings and murders that go on there in recent years? I mean...Mexico is what Colombia used to be 10-20 yrs ago.


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## Marsupilami (May 8, 2005)

I went to Rio last year, and I had no problem at all. Of course that you walk along safe places, but nothing to mention. I also went to Cabo Frio and Buzios and I never saw something intimidating.

on another hand, in Cabo Frio people are sharp and not welcoming to turists. they do not hace the minimal intention to be understood.


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## micel9f (Aug 31, 2010)

yashchauhan said:


> Tourist friendly attitude!
> Best-any Chinese city!
> 
> *Worst-any Australian city!*
> ...



Because of these crime against tourist in Australia.


*Indians attacked again in Oz*
http://ibnlive.in.com/news/never-safe-indian-attacked-again-in-oz/94414-2.html

*Indians attacked in Australia*
http://www.livemint.com/2009/09/15155805/3-Indians-attacked-in-Australi.html

*Indian killed in Vic 'feared for life'*
http://news.theage.com.au/breaking-...led-in-vic-feared-for-life-20100103-lmrc.html

*Fatally and critically attacked Irishmen in Coogee,Sydney's east*
http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/attackers-wanted-to-roll-tourist-20100315-q7ek.html

*A disabled Canadian man bashed in Sydney's west.*
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010/03/10/2842242.htm 

*A Scottish man forced to undergo brain surgery after getting bashed in Sydney*
http://thumbrella.com.au/four-teenagers-charged-for-attacking-scottish-working-holiday-maker-7104

*German tourist hospitalized after attacked at Australian school* 
http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/90001/90777/90851/7132508.html

*There’s nothing like Australia’s violence on tourists*
http://blogs.crikey.com.au/back-in-...thing-like-australia’s-violence-on-tourists…/

*Irish backpacker died after he was attacked in Sydney*
http://news.ninemsn.com.au/national/924542/backpackers-mum-wants-attacker-spared-jail

*German tourist attacked, stabbed in Melbourne*
http://www.eturbonews.com/11981/german-tourist-attacked-stabbed-melbourne

*Coast thugs attack Irish tourists*
http://www.finda.com.au/story/2010/01/01/an-irish-tourist-has-had-half-his-ear-bitten-off-a/

*Tourist attacked by 'brick-wielding teens'*
http://abc.gov.au/news/stories/2009/07/27/2637699.htm?site=brisbane


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## Arthur* (Jun 29, 2010)

You must consider the security before visiting a country or city !


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## diablo234 (Aug 18, 2008)

del


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