I was dead set in the summer of 2006 to visit Lebanon – a country that once sat at the top table of international tourist destinations during the sixties and seventies, and had, in the recent years preceding my planned trip, managed to drag itself back to within the shadow of its former glory.  Then, inconveniently, the Israelis leveled Beruit, killed scores of civilians, and, notably, my travel plans.  I swapped Beruit for Bosnia, which was a good deal quieter.  Looking back, I’m glad I did; it would have been extremely difficult to find any respectable accommodation with windows.

Here’s a small selection of destinations you should certainly avoid at the moment.

1.    Somalia

Somalia simply must be the least desirable yachting destination on Earth right now.  The war torn country is the world capital of naval piracy, with 293 incidents of piracy last year, up 11% over 2007, according to the International Maritime Bureau. In that year alone, forty-nine ships were hijacked and 889 crewmen were taken hostage. Eleven sailors were killed, 32 were injured and 21 are missing and presumed dead.  In a country where the average family lives on under $1 a day, piracy is the country’s most successful and arguably best organized industry, with satellite phones, RPGs, publicists and spokespeople to field media enquiries, and profits of $125 million last year.

2.    Iraq

As troops move out, amazingly, tourists move in.  Whilst many indicators point towards improvement in the security situation, Iraq is still one of the most dangerous countries to visit.  Only last week, The Islamic State of Iraq, an umbrella organisation representing militant Islamic groups in the country (including al-Qaeda) claimed responsibility for a bombing that resulted in the deaths of 5 US troops: the most deadly attack on troops in more than a year.  Coalition troops and Iraqi national army units are still under serious threat from suicide bombers and roadside IEDs.  Imagine being in a similar position, except with no helmet, body armour, or gun.  But you do have a camera, map, hand fan, bum bag to keep your money safe, and what amounts to a great big sign saying “Infidel” over your head.

3.    Afghanistan

Afghanistan is another active warzone where tourism appears to be creeping in from Westerners.  Whilst the effective territory that the Taliban controls has been dramatically reduced, there seems no shortage of troops or weapons from neighbouring Pakistan, and a determined and hardened enemy has resulted in a death toll for British forces in Afghanistan approaching that for operations in Iraq.  Attracted to the “Hippie Trail”, a once famous tourist destination in the country, people are slowly coming back.

4.    Democratic Republic of the Congo

The central-African country has been embroiled in its current civil war (the Second Congo War) since 1998, costing an unimaginable 5.4 million deaths in that time, the second highest death toll for a conflict after WWII.  Especially prevalent in the East of the country is widespread rape and sexual violence – considered the worst in the world.  If you were to visit the country for a month, as of 2009, around 45,000 people would die during your stay.

5.    Sudan

Nearby Sudan is another African state in a grave humanitarian situation.  Prone to warring with its neighbours, and effectively split along ethnic lines.  Whilst every region has a particular crisis, the Western area of Darfur is probably best known for government-sponsored mass killings, rape, and displacement.  Figures are difficult to approximate, and have been largely unavailable since around 2004.  At the time, the UN suggested around 2.5 million people had been made homeless and between 200,000 and 400,000 had died.

6.    Zimbabwe

Surprisingly, Zimbabwe is ranked 33 among the world’s most attractive tourist destinations.  It ranks, however at number 117 in terms of actual tourist visits.  The reason for this disparity?  Perhaps the infamous activities of Robert Mugabe and his Zanu PF party, involving mass land grabs, murder, torture and intimidation intended to maintain control of the country.  In the process of course, Zimbabwe has gone from the Breadbasket of Africa, to 6% recorded employment and having to dump its local currency after hitting a rate of 231 million percent inflation.  For your $300 travelers cheque you could get a 1 trillion Zimbabwean Dollar note.  That’s until they ran out of paper.

Tags: Afghanistan, dangerous, Democratic republic of congo, destinations, Iraq, Somalia, Sudan, Zimbabwe