San Francisco has been ranked among the safest cities in the world for travelers, according to a Travel + Leisure safety index that measures public security, crime levels, and identity-based safety concerns for groups including women, LGBTQ+ people, and people of color.
Reykjavik, Iceland, was named the safest city in the world for the second consecutive year, with the publication noting it was the only city in the study where every neighborhood was described as “exceptionally safe.”
Travel + Leisure wrote that this year’s report reflects growing fears about political instability, violence, and global conflict, and stated that travelers are now weighing safety conditions more heavily when deciding where to visit.
The article noted that the study incorporated data from travelers who assessed safety based not only on crime and terrorism risk but also on forms of inequality that can affect vulnerable groups while abroad, including harassment, discrimination, and hate violence.
Travel + Leisure highlighted that the ranking also considered how safe people feel when walking alone, using public transportation, and interacting with law enforcement, which can impact travelers differently depending on their nationality, race, gender identity, or sexual orientation.
Carol Mueller, an executive quoted in Travel + Leisure’s report, stated that “travelers are more thoughtful than ever with where they choose to explore,” adding that safety concerns now influence travel plans for families, solo travelers, and people from marginalized groups.
The article pointed out that some cities earned high safety scores overall but still presented localized risk, citing Copenhagen’s autonomous zone of Christiania as a place where visitors have reported theft when taking photos against local warnings.
Travel + Leisure added that Honolulu made the top five safest cities for the first time, noting that its remote location and low levels of violent crime contributed to favorable traveler perceptions of safety.
The report also evaluated travelers’ sense of safety by country, Travel + Leisure wrote, with the Netherlands ranking first, followed by Australia and Austria, indicating that safety perceptions varied widely around the world.
Travel + Leisure emphasized that safety is not experienced equally by all travelers, explaining that people of color, women, and LGBTQ+ travelers reported different levels of safety depending on local laws, cultural norms, and protections against violence.
The article concluded that even destinations ranked highly for safety still require travelers to remain cautious, as safety conditions can change based on geopolitical conflict, discriminatory policies, or emergency events.
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Categories: Breaking News Civil Rights San Francisco Tags: global safety ranking LGBTQ+ travel Reykjavik San Francisco tourism Travel + Leisure