ROME - Travel insurance experts have crunched the data to reveal where each of the top 10 European holiday destinations ranks on the newly created European Pickpocketing Index, with Italy coming out on top.

  The 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.

  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 Tripadvisor 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 - the most popular holiday destination for British tourists only came sixth on the list with five times fewer mentions of theft than Italy.

  Closer to home, 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.

  Greg Wilson, Founder and CEO of Quotezone.co.uk, 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 said: “Theft can happen anywhere and tourist hotspots are convenient places for criminals to target holidaymakers’ wallets and purses whilst they are busy taking in the sites. 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.”

  “It is essential always to remain vigilant, leave valuables, like expensive jewellery, 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. Try never to leave personal belongings unattended because travel insurance companies require travellers to take ‘reasonable care’ and could reject claims if items have been left alone,” he continued.

 eb