Each year, millions of tourists flock to the world’s best attractions, from natural wonders to man-made spectacles, however the realities of environmental hazards are often forgotten and are an important factor when planning your next vacation.
At InsureMyTrip, we conducted a study that looked into the most popular theme parks and tourist attractions from around the world, gaining an understanding of possible seismic hazards, future sea levels, and environmental impacts that could shape future plans for visitors when deciding which attractions to visit over the coming years.
Which Tourist Attractions are at High Risk of Being Destroyed by a Natural Disaster?
European countries have the highest number of tourist attractions that are unlikely to be impacted by a natural disaster with cooler temperatures and fewer recorded hazards, while South America has the highest number of locations that are more at risk with higher sea levels and hotter climates.
Tourist Attractions Most at Risk of Natural Disasters
In first place is Universal Studios Japan in Osaka, with an overall safety score of 5.36, because of its geographic location. Earthquakes are a common likelihood at this attraction due to the vicinity to tectonic plates. High temperatures are also a concern – with temps reaching a high of 100.4 °F in 2024. The second most at-risk destination is Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, with one of the highest recorded number of hotspots in 2024 at 1982, leaving it with an overall safety score of 5.52.
Waterbom Bali in Kuta, Indonesia is in third place, with an overall safety score of 5.95, because of a large amount of land below annual flood level due in 2030. In fourth is the Galapagos Islands, off the coast of Ecuador. Known for giant tortoises and conservation, it’s high number of recorded natural hazard events (31) and temperature highs of 102.2 °F, earned the Galapagos an overall safety score of 5.99. Next is Grand Palace in Bangkok, Thailand, with a small amount of land projected to be below annual flood level by 2030, but with strong heats reaching up to 105.8 °F.
Brazil has two more attractions in the top 10. At sixth is Nautico Praia Clube in Caldas Novas and at ninth is Beto Carrero World in Penha, both with minimal seismic hazard intensity, but with a shared high number of hotspots across the country in 2024. Their overall safety scores are 6.07 and 6.35 respectively.
Tourist Attractions Least at Risk of Natural Disasters
On the other hand, the Lazienki Palace in the capital of Poland is the least likely to be at risk from natural disasters, with no natural hazard events listed and no land below annual flood level by 2030, giving it an overall score of 9.13. Stockholm’s Vasa Museum is in second place, with an overall safety score of 8.89, with no hot spots recorded in 2024, and the highest temperature recorded at 84.2 °F. In third place is Niagara Falls, located at the border of New York state in the U.S. and Ontario, Canada. Despite it being known for its water, it has no land beneath annual flood level by 2030 and no recorded natural hazard events, leaving it with an overall safety score of 8.82.
The Eiffel Tower is in fourth place, with only five recorded hotspots across France in 2024. Due to the location of Paris, it has no land below annual flood level by 2030 and has had zero natural hazard events, which gives the Eiffel Tower an overall safety score of 8.73. In fifth is the Cologne Cathedral in Cologne, Germany, a much-loved attraction with a high attraction rating at 4.8 out of 5 and no recorded natural hazards which gives it an overall safety score of 8.7.
France appears again in the top 10 with the Palace of Versailles in tenth with an overall safety score of 8.29, having a low number of five recorded hot spots, but with a higher temperature recorded at 100.4 °F.
Conclusion
When planning a trip to an exciting new location with well-known tourist attractions, it is always important to make sure your trip is timed right to have the best time, without searing temperatures or during certain seasons that have increased likelihoods of natural hazards. It is always best to research the environment and ensure you have the best travel insurance in place in case of any plans going awry. However, there are always precautionary alerts that can assist in familiarizing yourself with the safety measures put in place so that everyone can enjoy the most incredible destinations around the world.
Methodology
For this study, reputable data sources were used across various environmental hazards which were then compiled based on the locations of popular global tourist attractions. These scores were standardized using minmax normalization. The minmax normalization value is multiplied by 10 to create a score (between 0-10). A score of 10 is always the best result, while a score of 0 is the worst. These were then ranked to find the safest tourist destination for 2025.
Noted data sources used country-wide metric, or state-wide when applicable.
Sources
Land projected to be below annual flood level in 2030.
- Climate Central Risk Map – https://coastal.climatecentral.org/map/6/14.264/49.9657
This was assessed and verbally scaled according to the amount of land that was projected to be under annual flood level.
Fire Danger Hotspots
- Global Fire Dashboard – https://maps.greenpeace.org/fire_dashboard/
This can be used to find hotspots for fire danger, like volcanoes and gas flares country and state wide.
Potential Seismic Hazard Intensity
- Global Seismic Hazard Map – https://www.globalquakemodel.org/product/global-seismic-hazard-map
This was assessed and verbally scaled according to the numerical metric of peak ground acceleration.
No. of Natural Hazard Events
- National Centers for Environmental Information Natural Hazards Viewer – https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/maps/hazards/
This can be used for recorded Tsunami Events, Significant Earthquakes and Significant Volcanic Eruptions across all time.
Hottest Temperature Recorded in 2024
- AccuWeather – https://www.accuweather.com/
Rating of Attraction
- Trip Advisor – https://www.tripadvisor.com/
