BENIDORM – Benidorm (Alicante) is the European destination where travellers are most at risk of getting sick while on holiday. This is according to a recent survey by Forbes Magazine.
Researchers looked at the destinations where travellers have the greatest chance of becoming sick during their holiday. The research, called the Travel Bug Index, analysed more than 2.4 million travel forum posts about the world’s most popular destinations. It looked at keywords such as “salmonella”, “gastroenteritis”, “e-coli” and “food poisoning”.
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At the global level, Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic tops the list with a score of 90.4. But on a European level, it is the Spanish destination Benidorm that stands out. The city on the Costa Blanca ranks first in Europe, with a score of 26.4 on the Travel Bug Index.
About 4.5% of the approximately 52,000 posts about this destination contain complaints about food poisoning and other illnesses. Nevertheless, the researchers emphasise that the risk is low and that Benidorm is a safe destination.
Top five Europe
London in the UK (21.7), Sunny Beach in Bulgaria (21.5) and Paris in France (19.4) follow Benidorm on the European list. The top five is rounded off by Tenerife, where diseases were mentioned in 3.17% of the reviews for this destination, out of a total of 1,700.
In the rest of the top ten, there are two more Spanish destinations: Menorca at 6 with 13 points, followed by Mallorca at 7 with 12.3 points. This is followed by Rome and the two Greek destinations of Zante and Mykonos.
Benidorm’s disease risk is one-third of that in Punta Cana
Of Benidorm, Forbes writes: “With its high-rise hotels, sprawling beaches and cheap, frequent flights, Benidorm attracts more than a million tourists a year. But while Benidorm may be a home from home for many Brits, many others still don’t feel like it. However, with the tap water considered safe and no required vaccinations, the risk of the stomach flu here is still only about a third of that in Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic – our global top spot for illness.”
Inquire about possible health risks
The research shows that it is important to be aware of potential health risks when travelling. Travellers can therefore go on holiday better prepared and reduce their risk of illness. Nevertheless, the researchers emphasise that Benidorm, despite being the first place on the European list, is still a safe destination.
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