Travel Warnings
Apart from the Maevka incident, which was widely reported here and in Russia, but received only limited coverage in the West as far as I can tell – presumably because there was so much else going on in the world: elections, volcanic eruptions, sports matches and the like – everything is fairly quiet here. The streets are quiet and people seem to be enjoying the sunshine. That is not to say that everything is hunky dory. There is still uncertainty and a certain amount of tension in the air … but, as I said last week, life is returning to normal.
However, the American State Department have issued a travel warning which says:
“We urge US citizens to defer travel to the Kyrgyz Republic until the security situation improves, and alert US citizens travelling or residing in the Kyrgyz Republic of the potential for further instability, … There remains a persistent danger of further demonstrations, unrest, and crime. Demonstrations could occur without warning, sometimes resulting in injury or death,… ”
Although this sounds pretty worrying, it was not as bad as I thought it would be. In 2001, the Americans evacuated everyone in response to the 9/11 incident in New York, even though they didn’t evacuate Americans from neighbouring countries. In 2005, virtually all the international consultants were evacuated by the UN. This time, they have simply assisted in evacuating non essential personnel, (families and so on), but they haven’t insisted. The haven’t said “Don’t travel to Kyrgyzstan”, instead “urging” people to “defer” their travel plans. This will still put people off, consultants, businessmen, tourists, and cause problems with travel insurance, but I took it as a sign that although they think the situation is volatile, it didn’t warrant drastic action.
This is in line with the advice of the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office: “we advise against all but essential travel to Kyrgyzstan“, and continues: “We advise all British nationals to avoid demonstrations and large gatherings while in Kyrgyzstan. Although the immediate situation in Kyrgyzstan has calmed down from two weeks ago, there is an ongoing risk of instability and there continue to be small incidents involving individual and groups of criminals. We also advise all British nationals to continue to stay indoors after dark.”
For the record, Here’s the advice that we give our clients about Travel warnings:
The Foreign ministries of various governments issue travel advice to their citizens. This is often takes the form of general advice similar to that which can be found on our website or elsewhere in this Information Pack. (Indeed, much of our advice is drawn from these notices.)
Different countries operate slightly different systems. Practices can vary widely between the countries, especially:
- the degree to which travel advice takes into account intelligence-based threat assessments;
- the processes by which intelligence-based information and travel advice are combined;
- the degree to which changes in assessments of terrorist threats are reflected directly in public information;
- the degree to which those operating the system acknowledge the influence of wider political and economic factors and top-level political influence;
- the attitude to host government capabilities;
- the variety of local legal and political factors (court challenges, specific legislative requirements) in shaping the context of decision-making;
- the formats used to present information and the degree of detail provided.
This advice usually revolves around making sensible preparations before departure and whilst away from home, such as:
- taking out adequate travel/medical insurance
- checking the current, up-to-date- Travel Advice
- checking on any health requirements
- making sure the traveler has sufficient funds available during their trip
- keeping those funds safe
- checking their passports are valid, and
- obtaining any necessary visas
- avoiding any involvement with drugs, child sex abuse, etc., and
- respecting the laws of other countries
In addition there is usually country specific Travel Advice. In most cases this consists of background information on countries, (called a “Country Profile” by the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office and “Consular Information Sheets” by the US State Department). It will include general points: information about unusual immigration practices; health conditions; minor political disturbances; unusual currency and entry regulations; crime and security information; drug penalties; specific cultural or safety issues that case histories highlight as needing attention and, (of particular importance), contact details for the relevant consular/diplomatic representative in the country.
Such factsheets are usually limited to factual descriptions of the country … they are aimed at informing the traveler of the current situation and leave the traveler to decide for themselves about their travel plans There is often one about every country, or administrative region in the world.
They also issue announcements called: “Travel Warnings” or “Travel Advisories”. These are usually specific to a country of a region – but Global warnings are also issued from time to time – especially related to threats from Terrorism. The purpose of these documents is to offer more than just information – as their name implies, they offer “advice” or “warnings”.
They are usually issued, or updated, in response to a crisis erupting, or when information is available about a particular threat. As such, not every country is the subject of a Travel Warning.
Travel Warnings will be accompanied by Press Releases or Public Announcements. These may include additional information to that contained in the Travel Warnings … which tend to be written to a general “formula”. These may be reported in the general press, or the trade press, but generally they are not. You can, however, usually find a link to the latest announcements on the website of your foreign ministry.
It is easy to mistake the advice as being patronizing, (for example – in the case of advice for travelers with disabilities, the traveler may already be aware of the issues covered… but then not every person reading the advice will be experienced), or over cautious – as in the country specific advice where it advises against travel to a region even though the region is quiet and peaceful. For example, both the US State Department and the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office have, for many years, advised against ALL travel to Tajikistan. This hasn’t stopped citizens of both countries visiting Tajikistan … including some diplomats, (we’ve provided services to some of them!)
It is important, therefore. to appreciate a little about the nature, history and purpose of the warnings, how they are arrived at, and to interpret carefully what they actually mean.
The legacy of Lockerbie and Bali
The importance of Travel Warnings is intertwined with major terrorist events.
One is the fate of flight TW104 – from London to New York – on which a bomb had been planted that exploded over the Scottish village of Lockerbie, killing everyone on board and several people on the ground as they were struck by falling debris. Apparently the CIA had received some information and issued a warning – but this was vaguely worded and not widely distributed. When this was eventually revealed, the criticism – especially from relatives of the victims – was considerable.
Another was the bombing of an area of Bali frequented by many tourists. Once again, it appears that the intelligence services of several countries were aware of the threat – but the information was not widely disseminated … and was deemed to be misleading.
There is also controversy surrounding the intelligence which was available before the events of September 11th,, 2001. It is argued in some quarters that sufficient information was available to the Security Services so that preventative measures could have been taken which might have saved lives.
Purpose:
The aim of this advice is to ensure that travellers are well prepared, before departure. It is designed to help travellers make informed decisions about travelling abroad, and to avoid trouble by providing information on threats to personal safety arising from political unrest, terrorist activities, lawlessness, violence, natural disasters, epidemics, demonstrations and safety issues.
Sources:
Usually the information is drawn from a number of sources, (including, where it is country specific, diplomats located in the country concerned). It is usually reviewed on a regular basis – but a developing crisis can result in more frequent updates being issued. Hence, you should always seek the latest information.
Decisions about what to include in a travel warning are not taken lightly. There will be a case history behind every sentence. The Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade actually quote a number of “True Stories” on their website in support some of their statements.
Of course, like in this information pack – new situations (or case histories) mean that advice is constantly being added … meaning that travel advice notices tend to grow longer and longer …
Interpretation:
It should be remembered that, except from the rare occasions when travel to particular countries or regions are prohibited under national law, governments do not instruct travelers not to visit a country.
The advice which is issued may vary from: expressing that caution is needed, to considering deferring travel to a country, or avoiding all but essential travel to a region or advising against all travel to a region/country.
It is, however, a matter for the individual traveler to decide. For example, despite serious warnings from the US State Department against traveling to Uganda, in 2003 about 100,000 Americans visited the country. One US consular official is reported to have to have commented that the US does not try to prevent its citizens from visiting a listed country, adding “If people decide to go despite the warnings, we wish them well and offer to be of service if needed,”
As one of our clients said on one occasion concerning particularly strongly worded advice from the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office about avoiding all but essential travel to the border regions of Kashmir in Pakistan, (with supplementary comments about security measures which should be taken): “It would see foolhardy to disregard such advice”- even though he felt, from previous experience and other advice he had received, that his visit was likely to be uneventful.
Effect:
Holiday firms often take such advice into account when deciding whether or not to cancel, a particular tour, but – unless travel to a country/region is actually prohibited by national law (which us very rare), the final decision is theirs and theirs alone. It is the same for the individual (or independent) traveller. Ultimately, it is your decision – and your responsibility.
The existence of a Travel Warning can affect your travel insurance and the refunds policy adopted by various tour firms, airlines etc..
The existence of a travel warning can have a significant effect on the tourist industry in the country concerned.
Here in Kyrgyzstan, the area to the South and West of Osh has been the subject of travel warnings from several countries advising (ranging from advising especial caution, avoiding all but essential travel to avoiding all travel to the region) since the events of 1999 when Muslim extremists crossed the border with Tajikistan and took a number of hostages. As a result, virtually all tourists – except, perhaps, the most intrepid Western tourists – have refrained from traveling there. This has affected the local service providers, most of them very poor, depriving them of an important source of additional income.
Diplomats responsible for issuing a Travel Warning/Advisory are well aware of the “knock on” effects of strong advice, such as against “all travel” or “all but essential travel “ to a particular region. However, trade or political considerations cannot, ultimately, be allowed to influence the advice. The safety of their own citizens is the paramount concern in these cases.
Our Recommendation:
Travelers should consult their foreign ministries for advice. It is possible that they have information which is more up-to-date than that which is to be found in guide books. (Most operate websites, and some have a telephone call-service.)
You may also want to consult what the foreign ministries of other countries are advising. Sometimes there are differences between the advice given by different governments – for example: following the events of September 11th 2001, the American State Department not only warned against travel to Kyrgyzstan they also advised those Americans already in the country to consider leaving, but governments of European Union countries did not. These variations may arise from differences of perception, or specific information that threats exist against citizens of particular nationalities.
Also, you should be aware that existence of a Travel Warning can affect your travel insurance and the refunds policy adopted by various tour firms, airlines etc.. As details of policies vary, you should talk to your insurance cover, or the insurance policy of your tour operator/agent, and you consult the appropriate company about your particular case.
However, advice is exactly that – advice.
- Read it carefully.
- Remember that a Travel Warning, by its very nature, is likely to be negative.
- Look for specific, precise, points.
- In particular, look at the date of the notice … if it is more than a couple of weeks old – ask for an update.
- Where points are couched in general terms, try to obtain further information. A recent trend is for additional information is sometimes being offered as clarification and/or justification. Sometimes this is helpful – but not always.
- Obtain as much, up-to-date information as possible … from different sources. But, remember that every source, including us, has its own perspective and “vested interest”. The diplomat wants to avoid potential difficulties – for the tourist (and for the diplomatic service?) and although, as a tour company, we don’t want to lose business – it is NOT in OUR interest for a tourist to encounter difficulties having followed OUR advice. It is better for us in the long term for a client to defer a visit, and eventually have a successful trip, than to undertake one where problems arise. (We will give clients the best advice we can at any given moment – even if this results in a cancellation.)
IF IN DOUBT – THEN ERR ON THE SIDE OF CAUTION! – we say this, even if it means following the advice contained in a travel warning and deferring your visit to the Kyrgyz Republic.
Bishkek