August 15, 2025, 11:54 am | Read time: 3 minutes
The last thing you want to think about on a long-awaited vacation is the possibility of getting sick during your trip. Unfortunately, it happens quite often. The business magazine “Forbes” has compiled a list of cities where tourists are particularly prone to illness.
Getting sick on vacation is a nightmare for many, ruining the well-deserved break. Fortunately, the most common illness while traveling is usually a temporary stomach upset. However, if it means missing several days of the vacation you worked so hard for, it can feel much worse. At some destinations, the risk of travel-related illnesses is higher than at others. That’s why “Forbes,” with its “Forbes Advisor,” has created a ranking of cities where tourists frequently fall ill.
“Forbes Advisor” Travel Sickness Index
To determine which European destinations tourists most frequently get sick at, “Forbes” magazine scoured popular travel forums, searching over 2.4 million posts for keywords like “salmonella,” “gastroenteritis,” “E. coli,” and “food poisoning.” The most frequently mentioned destinations were then cross-referenced with other data, including recommended vaccinations, malaria risk, or advice to avoid local tap water. Each destination received a “Travel Bug Index Score” from 0 to 100, based on its rating in various categories. A higher score indicates a greater risk for tourists of getting sick on vacation.
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Benidorm, Spain
With its expansive beaches and affordable flights, Benidorm in Spain attracts more than a million tourists each year. For many Britons, the seaside city is the ultimate travel destination. However, 4.5 percent of travelers on forums complain about food poisoning and other illnesses they contracted locally. This may be due to the high concentration of hotels, leading to many people in close quarters.
London, England
The city where the British royal family resides and where you can marvel at landmarks like Big Ben and the London Eye is one of Europe’s most popular travel destinations. At the same time, it ranks second among cities where tourists most frequently fall ill. Despite strict food hygiene laws and clean drinking water in London, 4,211 out of over 150,000 forum posts from travelers, or 2.74 percent, were related to illnesses.
Sunny Beach, Bulgaria
With its five-kilometer-long and, in some places, 100-meter-wide sandy beach, Sunny Beach on the Black Sea is one of Bulgaria’s most beautiful and popular vacation spots. Just in April, our author was on site and described it as a lovely alternative to the more famous Golden Sands. Nevertheless, nearly 3 percent of users report unexpected illnesses in their reviews on travel forums. Additionally, it’s advised to avoid tap water locally, and certain vaccinations are recommended for the country, including tetanus and hepatitis A and B.
Top 10 Cities in Europe Where Tourists Frequently Get Sick
- Benidorm, Spain (26.4)
- London, England (21.7)
- Sunny Beach, Bulgaria (21.5)
- Paris, France (19.4)
- Tenerife, Spain (19.3)
- Menorca, Spain (13)
- Mallorca, Spain (12.3)
- Rome, Italy (12.1)
- Zante, Greece (11.3)
- Mykonos, Greece (11.2)
In the global ranking, Benidorm ranks 17th among countries where tourists most frequently fall ill. The top spot goes to Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic. The Forbes survey was conducted in 2023.