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ITCMS speaker Dr Taleb Rifai of the UNWTO: ‘Travel advisories are beginning to encourage acts of violence’


Tourism leaders demand smarter travel advisories


THE INAUGURAL INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL CRISIS MANAGEMENT SUMMIT WAS HELD LAST WEEK. LEE HAYHURST REPORTS


Imprecise travel advisories imposed by governments after political unrest and terror attacks could be encouraging further atrocities as terrorist groups exploit them to cause maximum economic damage.


The warning came last week


at the inaugural International Travel Crisis Management Summit organised by Travel Weekly parent Jacobs Media Group which brought together leading global figures from the sector. Dr Taleb Rifai, secretary-


general of the UN World Tourism 72 travelweekly.co.uk 17 November 2016


Organisation, said he believed the sector is more united than ever, but that industry and government security agencies often “speak different languages”. “Those that target our industry


aim to hurt us economically and politically,” he said. “Our industry is singled out among all other industries, because we represent a major economic force and a major political dimension. “The world of security is


operating in one silo and tourism in another. We need to speak the language of security and security


people need to understand what the relevance of tourism is.” Dr Rifai warned governments


not to make situations worse by issuing overly vague travel advisories that effectively result in blanket bans on travel to entire countries or regions and are not updated regularly enough. He said a UN resolution states


travel advisories should be specific to a location, include maps to show distances, avoid “ambiguous language” and be clear about the nature and level of risk. “We need to promote


approaches to more accurate travel advisories,” said Dr Rifai. “They are beginning to act against our interests. They are


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