Thousands of travelers have experienced petty theft while visiting Europe’s top destinations, according to new research by Quotezone. The travel insurance comparison experts have revealed where each of the most popular European holiday destinations rank on the European Pickpocketing Index.
“Iconic attractions like the Eiffel Tower in Paris and the Trevi Fountain in Rome are particularly popular with pickpockets as they can move more inconspicuously amongst larger crowds,” said Greg Wilson, Founder and CEO of Quotezone. “Many holidaymakers are unaware that some of the most popular destinations for Brits have some of the highest incidents of petty theft in Europe.”
The European Pickpocketing Index ranks the most popular European holiday destinations by the proportion of pickpocketing mentions in visitor reviews of each country’s top five tourist attractions.
Theft can happen anywhere. Tourist hotspots are convenient places for criminals to target wallets and purses.
Greg Wilson, Founder and CEO of Quotezone
Visitors to Italy’s Colosseum, Trevi Fountain and Pantheon in Rome as well as the Duomo di Milano in Milan and the Gallerie Degli Uffizi in Florence mentioned having items stolen in 1,906 online travel reviews. This equates to 463 pickpocketing mentions for every million British visitors to Italy’s top tourist attractions, the highest proportion of any European country.
France is the second most visited country by Brits and also has the second highest number of pickpocketing mentions at 283 per million visitors, with all 5 attractions monitored being in Paris.
The Netherlands ranked third on the pickpocketing index despite being only the ninth most visited country. Despite Barcelona’s reputation for pickpocketing, Spain only came sixth on the list with five times fewer mentions of theft than Italy.
The index suggests that tourists enjoying a pint at the Guinness Storehouse can feel fairly confident their possessions are safe, with the Republic of Ireland ranking down in ninth with only 30 pickpocketing mentions per million visitors.
Wilson said that unfortunately this new research shows that thousands of people have complained about items being stolen while experiencing the best that Europe has to offer. He advised travelers to remain vigilant and leave valuables like expensive jewelry in a safe in the hotel and always travel with a secure cross-body bag with zips to secure phones and wallets or even a money belt.
“It is important to remember to get a police report for the loss or theft of an item as this will support the insurance claim,” he said. “Remember to double check what is and isn’t covered on the travel insurance policy before heading to these high-ranking destinations, most travel insurance policies cover important documentation such as passports but rarely cover stolen cash and phones. Most providers allow travelers to add on extras that might be needed such as gadget travel insurance.”
