Spain is an extremely popular destination for people worldwide, whether they come to see the sprawling plazas of Madrid or loll on the beaches and take in the Gaudí architecture of Barcelona.

The nearly 84 million visitors who chose the country for their holidays in 2024 have made Spain the second most-visited country in the world, according to several different rankings. The deluge of visitors also prompted a wave of anti-tourist protests everywhere, from Valencia and Barcelona to the Canary Islands.

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State Department advisory for Spain remains at ‘exercise increased caution’

But even with the millions of visitors who come home from Spain with nothing but a desire for a prompt return, the U.S. State Department still puts the country at the second level of its four-tier safety rating. The “exercise increased caution” advisory was reissued with a new travel advisory warning against the risk of terrorism in major cities; the ranking puts Spain at the same level as fellow European countries such as France and Germany as well as Mexico and, most recently, China.

Related: U.S. government raises warnings for two popular vacation destinations

“Exercise increased caution in Spain due to terrorism and civil unrest,” the updated government advisory reads with the added warning that “terrorist groups continue plotting possible attacks in Spain.” 

Similarly worded advisories are issued for countries home to global capitals such as Paris and London; meanwhile, Japan is at level one’s “exercise normal precautions.”

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The Spanish advisory goes on to warn against protests that tend to occur in central areas and tourists who can become inadvertently caught up in them without understanding local laws and customs.

“Demonstrations are common,” the advisory reads. “They may take place in response to political or economic issues, on politically significant holidays, and during international events. If you decide to travel to Spain, […] be aware of your surroundings when traveling to tourist locations and crowded public venues.”

These are the countries to receive new travel advisories in December

The rankings are assigned on a four-tier scale, in which level one is considered as or even safer than home while level four’s “do not travel” is assigned to authoritarian governments and active war zones.

At the start of December, the State Department lowered its travel advisory for mainland China from level three’s “reconsider travel” to level two’s “exercise increased caution.” This came in response to the Chinese government being the first to make it significantly easier for Americans to visit by expanding its visa-free transit policy to a maximum of 10 days and, for those applying for a visa, getting rid of the requirement to have a booked plane ticket and hotel stay before it is granted.

Other countries to receive renewed travel advisories in December include Belarus, which remains at the highest “do not travel” level due to its government’s facilitation of the war in Ukraine, and Honduras and Costa Rica. The two Central American countries remain very popular as cruise ship stops but have been seeing rising levels of crime in the last year.

Costa Rica, which is also popular with tourists coming to stay at resorts and ranked at level two, has been seeing an increase in petty crime, while Honduras is at “reconsider travel” due to higher rates of drug trafficking and violent crime.

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