Safest Travel Destinations: Iceland, Australia, Canada, A New Report Says

Iceland is the safest country to visit for American travelers, a new report says.

Iceland ranks No. 1, followed, consecutively, by Australia, Canada, Ireland and Switzerland, according to the report released Tuesday by travel insurance company Berkshire Hathaway Travel Protection. The rankings are based on an August survey of American travelers and other factors, including terorism, weather emergencies and health concerns.

Despite volcanic eruptions this year, Iceland has reclaimed its position as the safest destination in the world for the first time in three years, and No. 2 Australia and No. 3 Canada have climbed in the rankings during the past several years, the report says.

Rounding out the top 10 on the safest countries list are No. 6 New Zealand, followed, in order, by Germany, Norway, Japan and Denmark.

The report also ranks the world’s safest cities, and Iceland’s capital, Reykjavik, reclaimed its No. 1 ranking after dropping from first place in last year’s Berkshire Hathaway report.

Last year’s safest city, Honolulu, fell to No. 13 this year.

Other cities in the top 10 are No. 2 Copenhagen, followed, consecutively, by Amsterdam, Tokyo, Sydney, Montreal, Seoul, Singapore, Berlin and Hong Kong.

Research for the annual report was done by Polymath Research + Marketing. The company used information from the U.S. State Department, the British magazine The Economist and other sources.