There are multiple reasons why people decide to travel to Latin America. Some people are fascinated for the culture of the countries, others move around the region just for economical, or political reasons. Which ever the reason, travellers move around Latin America, its important to keep in mind a security strategy, to stay safe. Eventhough Latin American countries are becoming more secure, the region is still considered very dangerous. Many cases of violence related to assaults, robbery, extortion among others happen regularly. Having a travel safe strategy prepares you to know more about the place you are going to visit, which lowers the risk to which you will be exposed.

Crime is directly linked to insecurity, and Latin America is a region where diverse types of crimes occur constantly. Below you will find a map that shows the crime rate in 2016. As it is presented, from Mexico to Argentina the average of the crime rate is high.

Travelling to countries that are ranked as High or Extreme risky countries, shows the importance of having a Travel Security Strategy before going there. This map shows that people located in those countries are exposed to many risks related with crime. According to the article “Which are the 6 Latino countries that are among the 13 with the worst crime rates in the world.” Made by the BBC redaction on December 2016, Latin America is the region with the highest crime rate on the planet.

Homicide is one of the most relevant crimes in the region, an article published by the World Bank in 2014 said that Latin America suffers more than 30% of the world homicides. Countries like Honduras, Venezuela, Colombia and Mexico are the most affected. However, there are other types of crimes which are very common in the region. As a traveller you can be assaulted, robbed, extortioned or kidnapped.

On the other hand, the fact of being a foreigner in Latin America makes you a target for criminals. They qualify foreign people as a vulnerable person due to the fact that they don’t know the region nor the native language. Having a travel safe strategy will help travellers reduce the risk of being a criminal target.

As Latin America is an insecure region, travellers must know they will be exposed to diverse types of risks, there are also internal and external factors such as politics, internal conflicts or natural disasters that affect their security.

Read More about Security Recommendations in LATAM at www.tsslatam.com

First, to bring tourists and business travel support, it is important the client shares some personal information with a hired security company in order to know how to proceed in an emergency case. Information as their phone number, their picture or their email address must be provided by them, as well as their blood type and an emergency contact. They must also inform if they have a specific medical condition that must be treated.

A previous study of the areas where visitors are going to be is necessary. The research consists on knowing which are the closest safe points, like hospitals, churches, fire, police and military stations. During this process, chock points need to be identified, like constructions on the road, streets without light and dangerous areas. This research has to be done to design and identify a convenient route plan, which will contain the safest routes and strategies in case of an incident that risks the traveller’s life.

With the information provided by the client, the security company visits each location given by the visitors, with the purpose to assess the risk, interview the managers, verify the facilities and the emergency exits in case of any type of security incident.

When the security service starts, a security agent will be waiting for the travellers at the airport in the international or the domestic arrival with a code sign to make it easy to identify them. When the service begins, the security agent will be reporting all the movements 24/7 to a command center.

The main point of a security strategy is focused on bringing a high-quality service. Having the resources needed to provide the most secure service in Latin America to visitors is something the company should provide. All the team should be highly qualified, with high technology communication resources supported by armored vehicles level III with satellite tracking system and panic buttons.

Its mandatory then, and specially if you are a Corporate Executive to hire a Security Company and plan ahead a travel security strategy before travelling to Latin America.