Canadian travellers to Asia are flocking to the continent in spite of numerous warnings from the Government of Canada about serious risks to their personal safety and health.  Eleven Asian nations – a full 20 per cent of Asia – currently have travel warnings in effect for the country or for part of the country, issued by the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada.

“The decision to travel is the sole responsibility of the individual,” the federal advisories caution.

The red-flagged countries include: China, East Timor, India, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Burma, Indonesia, Malaysia, The Philippines and Pakistan. Canada’s global travel reports - including all relevant travel warnings - are posted online and regularly monitored.

Last year, Ottawa’s www.voyage.gc.ca website received over 4.5 million visits.

Travel warnings for flagged countries in Canada’s no-go database run the cautionary spectrum, from advisories suggesting that Canadians should “avoid non-essential travel to the country, or specific region(s) of the country, as there is a specific security concern at this time” to dire warnings that Canadian citizens should “avoid all travel to the country, or specific region(s) of the country, as there is an extreme risk to personal safety at this time.”

And still, Canadian tourists and travel agencies insist Asian countries issued with these advisories have not lost their appeal. On the contrary.

The number of Canadians visiting freshly-flagged China each month, for instance,  has not changed since the beginning of 2007, with approximately 14,000 monthly travellers reported by Statistics Canada.

Vancouver resident Cheryl Tiu, 29, travelled to Shanghai and Beijing this month for a two-week family vacation, and said the travel warning to China would not cancel her plans.
“There are dangers and threats out there in the world, but you can’t hide out in your house forever,” said Tiu shortly before her departure.

“People still need to see the world and have a sense of adventure.” Bernard Nguyen, a spokesperson for the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada, says the federal website’s Travel Updates page clearly identifies advisories that have been updated within the last two weeks, adding many of the current advisories have been in effect since last year.

“Of the (11) Asian countries with current travel advisories, only two have seen an increase in the level of Official Warning since January 2008,” he told the South Asian Post.  “A warning to avoid non-essential travel to Tibet was added to the China Travel Report in March, and a warning to avoid all travel to areas of military activity was added to the Timor-Leste (East Timor) report in February.”

The Canadian government’s consular communications section also conducts various outreach activities each year to raise health and safety awareness among globe-trotting Canucks. “Our main publication, Bon Voyage, is distributed with every new passport,” said Nguyen. “We participate in travel shows such as the Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal Travel and Trade Shows. We also provide a Safe Travel Planner training program, which targets travel agents.”

Additional government initiatives include presentations for travel and tourism students across Canada, pre-departure information sessions for students planning work or studies abroad, and presentations for professional organizations departing Canada for foreign shores. A national advertising campaign is also planned for fall 2008, said Nguyen.

Alison Eaton, communications manager for Flight Centre travel agency, says Canadians have always traveled - and will continue to travel - for adventure, adding the increased value of the Canadian dollar is certainly helping fill flights to Asia.

“Affordability is a big factor and people are travelling in part because the dollar is strong,” Eaton told the South Asian Post. “The number of travellers has changed, and is actually increasing in the case of China because the country is hosting the Olympics.”

Most of the agency’s Asian travel bookings are to resort destinations in Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia, which attract a younger more adventurous demographic, she explained.
“Travel advisories [from the government] are confusing to tourists because most threats in foreign countries are isolated incidents,” said Eaton. “People should follow airline advisories on incidents overseas before they travel. Airlines will let you know if it’s not safe to go, and they will also provide options to travel and a refund.”

False Creek Travel owner, Fatima Hemani, says she has never been asked about government travel warnings by a client in 13 years of working as a travel agent in Vancouver. “I don’t mention government travel advisories to my clients, but I always recommend they purchase trip insurance,” said Hemani.

“It’s very important for people to cover themselves in case of ticket cancellation.” The Royal Thai Consulate General in Vancouver hardly takes exception to its red-flagged status in Ottawa and in fact posts a link on its website to the Canadian travel warning for Thailand. In 2007, 183,440 Canadians visited the country, and the local consulate further advises travellers to become familiar with Thailand before they travel in order to make the most of their trip.

“We recommend travellers read travel reports and publications about Thailand,” said consul officer Apinya Nanakorn. “Such reports provide tourists with useful background to better understand and enjoy their time in Thailand. Our consulate also provides advice and recommendations to travellers asking about specific areas to visit when they come to our offices.”

The same advice is issued by Tourism India officials. Information officer Vibhava Tripathi says 192,000 Canadians visited India in 2007, adding the number of travellers this year is expected to remain the same.

“India is very much a safe country to travel to,” Tripathi told the South Asian Post. “If there is some problem in any part of the country and a traveller asks for our comments we tell them accordingly.” Jayantha Dhanapala, the first Simons Visiting Chair in International Law and Human Security in the School for International Studies at Simon Fraser University, said all governments have a responsibility for the care of citizens abroad.

“Travel advisories are a device to utilise a network of governments and diplomatic missions to warn citizens about risks abroad,” said Dhanapala, a Sri Lankan national. “As with all bureaucracies, these systems aren’t optimum and can be overly cautious.”

The warnings are also guidelines that can be useful for young people in explaining important customs, he said. “A traveler would be foolish to go to a zone with an epidemic or a war,” said Dhanapala.

“People can still find themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

Bangladesh:
Advises against all travel to the coastal areas of Bangladesh. This region was the hardest hit by Topical Cyclone Sidr with many structures damaged or completely destroyed. Infrastructure systems including roads and telecommunications were also extensively damaged.

Also advises against all travel to the Chittagong Hill Tracts region, where there is a high risk of politically motivated violence and kidnappings. Bangladeshi authorities must be notified seven days before any travel to this region. Canadians should exercise extreme caution, maintain a high level of personal security awareness at all times, monitor local developments, and avoid crowds and demonstrations.