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No truth to claims that 16 countries warn against travel to Spain
A fake report is circulating that the UK, United States and other governments are advising against Spanish holidays
In the last few days, messages have begun circulating on social media claiming that 16 countries, including the UK, the United States and Australia, are all advising their citizens against travelling to Spain this summer due to serious safety concerns like terrorism and civil unrest. As it turns out, this is completely false.
The hoax was detected by Maldita.es, a WhatsApp chatbot originally set up by a Spanish fact-checking organization to debunk misinformation during the Covid pandemic. It’s still widely used today to verify information and its latest contribution has clarified that countries have absolutely not warned people off their Spanish holidays.
Rather, they’ve issued completely standard travel advisories, common for many destinations, highlighting general precautions, not specific threats or a ban.
The bogus warning specifically mentions the threat of terrorist attacks in Spain, but this country has been at alert level 4 out of 5 since 2015. So while there is a recognised risk, it is a longstanding one and not something new or escalating suddenly. It also mirrors the kinds of alerts present in other European nations.
In the United States, one of the countries listed in the fake news report, Spain is currently rated at Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution, which is relatively standard for many countries. This means travellers are advised to stay aware of their surroundings but are not being discouraged from visiting.
By contrast, Level 1 (like Portugal) indicates only the need for routine caution, the lowest level. Level 4, at the other end of the scale, means do not travel due to serious risks like war or severe instability.
In the US, France and Germany have the same advisory level as Spain.
The UK government updated its travel advice on May 12, 2025. Although it mentions the “likely” possibility of terrorist attacks and riots during demonstrations, it does not recommend avoiding travel to Spain. In contrast, France and Germany are labeled “very likely” targets, indicating a slightly higher perceived risk in those countries.
But again, while the UK’s travel advice is cautious, this is all very standard language used in travel advisories.
In Australia, the alert for Spain indicates "normal precautions” despite warning of a probable risk of attacks. This level is similar to that for Portugal and Italy, and lower than that for France and the United Kingdom. It only recommends avoiding travel to countries like Ukraine due to the military conflict.
New Zealand also maintains a level 2 out of 4 warning for Spain due to the terrorist threat. This same level applies to France, Italy and Germany. In countries like Somalia, however, it does directly recommend against travel.
China, for its part, has not issued a specific alert for Spain. The latest recommendation published by its embassy in Madrid, in December 2024, is limited to general warnings to prevent theft and other common precautions.
From Japan, the Embassy in Spain is clear that "there is currently no risk information regarding Spain."
So, while several countries regularly issue general safety advisories, none of them officially advise against traveling to Spain. In a nutshell, the claims circulating on social media and elsewhere do not reflect the current official guidance from those governments.
Image: Maldita.es
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