<div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>More than 10 million </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/australia" rel="" target="" title="Australians"><span>Australians</span></a><span> will head overseas in 2026, if recent travel trends are any indication.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>But there are many destinations the </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/government" rel="" target="" title="federal government"><span>federal government</span></a><span> has strenuously warned against holidaying to, even though some of them are trying to entice foreign tourists.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Heading into the new year, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade's (DFAT) Smartraveller service has slapped a "do not travel" warning on 23 countries.</span></div></div><div><div id="adspot-mobile-medium"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/afghanistan-travel-advice-safety-taliban-tourism-influencers/79639e6f-cb06-46f4-b2e4-b17456043d35" rel="" target="" title="Jess visited Afghanistan to raise awareness, but are tourists like her doing more harm than good?"><strong><span>Jess visited Afghanistan to raise awareness, but are tourists like her doing more harm than good?</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>None of them are much surprise: war-torn Ukraine, Palestine and Yemen; military junta-run Myanmar and authoritarian North Korea; and large swaths of Africa, where the threat of terrorism, kidnapping and other violent crime looms, all feature on that list.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>So too do Russia and allied Iran and Belarus, where Australians are at risk of arbitrary detention or arbitrarily enforced laws targeting Westerners.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Russian authorities regard Australia as an 'unfriendly' nation and act accordingly," DFAT said about the world's largest country. </span></div></div><div><div class="OUTBRAIN" data-reactroot="" data-src="//www.9news.com.au/national/australia-government-overseas-travel-warnings/634f8186-3dee-4046-9c3c-db627e911c39" data-widget-id="AR_5"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/us-entry-requirements-mandatory-social-media-vetting-plans-what-they-mean-for-travellers-explained/b998d193-e38b-41b4-9ac2-a2140cd01027"><strong><span>The influencer act that could ban Aussie tourists</span></strong></a><strong><span></span></strong></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"If you're in Russia, leave immediately using commercial options."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The starkest warning, though, is saved for Afghanistan.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>After re-seizing power in the country in 2021 following the disastrous US exit, the Taliban has promoted itself as a tourism destination in an attempt to bolster its fragile, war-ravaged and aid-dependent economy.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"The Afghan people are warm and welcoming and wish to host tourists from other countries and engage with them," </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/tourists-are-trickling-into-afghanistan-and-the-taliban-government-is-eager-to-welcome-them/05691a6b-e20d-432d-848b-94fa59287b71"><span>Deputy Tourism Minister Qudratullah Jamal said in June</span></a><span>. </span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Tourism brings many benefits to a country.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"We have considered those benefits and aim for our nation to take full advantage of them."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/ev-parking-fines-what-are-penalties-for-petrol-cars-in-charging-bays-explained/f4e762fb-95f6-410b-9c7a-f15a4ad1a88d"><strong><span>The state where parking in the wrong spot could cop you a $3300 fine</span></strong></a><strong><span></span></strong></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>While some Australians are among the foreigners who have </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/afghanistan-travel-advice-safety-taliban-tourism-influencers/79639e6f-cb06-46f4-b2e4-b17456043d35"><span>travelled there, despite Afghans who have fled the country</span></a><span> cautioning that it risks legitimising the Taliban's violent and abusive regime, the </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/afghanistan-travel-advice-update-safety-taliban-tourism/8b057a47-d90e-430a-a019-6e51cfb1965f"><span>federal government's advice about a visit is blunt</span></a><span>.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Nowhere in Afghanistan is safe… understand that you could die and make a will before you go," it states.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>While the "do not travel" countries are unsurprising, travellers may be a little shocked to see the advice for some of the safer nations on Smartraveller's list.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>France and the United Kingdom are the only Western European countries to be marked as "exercise a high degree of caution" – the second level of advice.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/double-demerits-2025-christmas-new-year-when-do-they-start-explainer/3f943681-39c0-4281-8e38-ace4f87b5620" rel="" target="" title="The one state where this could cop you double demerits year-round"><strong><span>The one state where this could cop you double demerits year-round</span></strong></a><span></span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Thailand, another popular destination for Australians, also has the same warning, while travellers to Rwanda and Zambia, which both have Mpox outbreaks and border "do not travel" areas, are told to "exercise normal safety precautions" – the first and lowest tier of Smartraveller advice – although specific parts of those nations have higher advisories.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The advice for each country is based on a range of factors, including intelligence from ASIO and Australia's allies, and objectively reflect the risks travellers would face there, according to DFAT.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"We frequently review our travel advisories. However, we don't change them for all issues and incidents," Smartraveller states.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"We update travel advisories if there are new or increased risks to Australians."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/how-to-follow-9news-digital/29855bb1-ad3d-4c38-bc25-3cb52af1216f" target="_blank"><strong><em><span>DOWNLOAD THE 9NEWS APP</span></em></strong></a><strong><em><span>:</span></em></strong><span> </span><em><strong><span>Stay across all the latest in breaking news, sport, politics and the weather via our news app and get notifications sent straight to your smartphone. 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