DOT rebukes 'false' ranking labeling PH as 'least safe country' for travelers
The Department of Tourism has opposed a recent report by travel insurance company HelloSafe, which labeled the Philippines as the "least safe country" for travelers.
In a statement on her official Facebook page, Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco criticized the report as "false" and stressed how it "caused serious and lasting harm" to the industry.
"What was presented as an objective safety index was, in fact, built on questionable data, lacking in transparency, and entirely disconnected from realities on the ground," Frasco said.
According to her, the website focused more on "driving travel insurance sales rather than ensuring accurate safety assessments." Frasco also claimed that it "clearly lacked full methodology disclosure or identifiable data sources" as it had reused an identical score of 82.32 for different countries in just six days.
She explained that safety indexes can unfairly distort national reputations when tied to sales and commercial interests, and warrant closer scrutiny of the fairness and accuracy of such rankings.
Despite this, Frasco acknowledged that "the Philippines, like any country, has challenges."
"We do not deny that," Frasco said. "The fact remains that extensive work is being done daily to address those challenges. Across our key and emerging destinations, safety is not taken for granted. It is upheld by trained police personnel, supported by strong partnerships with law enforcement agencies and local governments, and reinforced by the commitment of our tourism workers."
She took issue with the report saying that it "disrupted bookings and businesses," "cast doubt on our destinations," and "harmed the livelihoods of millions of Filipinos who depend on tourism, and entire communities whose economies rise and fall with the confidence of travelers."
"We demand that HelloSafe correct all references to the erroneous data against the Philippines across its platforms and to ensure the accuracy and consistency of its reporting tools, including interactive visual assets," Frasco ordered.
She closed her statement by calling on Filipinos in the tourism sector to speak up against the issue.
"Defending the truth of our country is not about denying its imperfections. It’s about refusing to let those imperfections be distorted or weaponized. The Philippines is not defined by a flawed and false statistic. It is defined by our people—resilient, disciplined, and deeply proud of what we offer the world," she highlighted.
While Frasco noted that the listing has since been altered to remove the Philippines’ designation and replace it with another country, a quick look at HelloSafe's report showed that the Philippines still appears at the top of the ranking of least safe countries in the world in 2024.
It garnered a score of 82.32 out of 100, followed by Colombia with 79.21 points and Mexico with 78.42 points. The travel site described the countries as having "high levels of violence within society."
"Yemen and Syria are also grappling with serious internal conflicts that compromise security. Also worth noting is the presence of Russia, which is engaged in a conflict with Ukraine that seems likely to continue," HelloSafe added.
In another ranking, the Philippines was also named the least safe country to travel to in Asia out of 30 countries.
Iceland, Singapore, and Denmark, meanwhile, were among the safest countries in the world for travelers.
