US issues urgent travel warning to this popular tourist destination over fears 'terrorist groups may attack'

The US has issued a travel warning for a popular tourist destination amid fears of 'terrorist attacks' in the country.

Travel guidance is issued to people from the US travelling abroad based on several factors in a given country.

This frequently includes advice on the political situation in a location or information on natural disasters - and is updated as new events unfold.

It might become less severe if a country stabilises after a dangerous period, or a new risk may be identified, meaning that the country becomes more dangerous.

In this case, new guidance has been issued for a popular tourist destination due to the risk of terrorist groups carrying out attacks.

Tourism is important to the Maldives economy (MOHAMED AFRAH/AFP via Getty Images)

The advice has been issued for the Maldives, a country made up of a chain of around 1,190 islands in the Indian Ocean.

It reads: "Exercise increased caution in the Maldives due to terrorism."

The warning went on to add that people travelling to the country should be mindful of increased response times for emergency services due to the islands' remote locations.

People travelling to the Maldives are told to keep abreast of any breaking news in the country and to have a backup plan in place in case of an emergency.

In the guidance, visitors are also advised to avoid protests and large gatherings, a warning which is given for many regions across the globe.

The Maldives is a part of the Global Counter-Terrorism Strategy (GCTS) review, which the UN General Assembly examines every two years.

On its counterterrorism page, the Maldives Ministry of Foreign Affairs wrote: "The Maldives has a zero-tolerance policy on terrorism and violent extremism.

The Maldives is at high risk from climate change (MOHAMED AFRAH/AFP via Getty Images)

"The Maldives pledged to take swift measures against anyone committing an act or acts of terrorism, or financing, joining, encouraging or providing any manner of assistance or support to terrorists and violent extremists."

Unfortunately, terrorism is far from the only concern for the authorities in the Maldives.

The country is one of those which is most at risk from climate change, due to being comprised of a series of small islands.

Because it lies so close to the sea, being an average of just 7ft above sea level, the Maldives is particularly vulnerable to rising sea levels.

Climate change is something which the country takes extremely seriously, with a cabinet meeting in 2009 seeking to draw attention to the existential threat.

This saw members of the country's government have a cabinet meeting underwater wearing scuba gear to draw attention to rising sea levels.