WTO slams issuance of ‘indiscriminate’ travel advisories

The World Tourism Organization (WTO) slammed yesterday what it called "indiscriminate travel advisories" issued by various Western countries against traveling to Southeast Asian countries.

President Arroyo, for her part, reminded Western countries that the Philippines and the rest of Southeast Asia are in the thick of the fight against terrorism.

"We should not be penalized by those who are well aware of the tough decisions and reactions we have taken," Mrs. Arroyo said.

Although the President and WTO deputy secretary general Dawis Villiers did not specifically mention any country, he was apparently referring to the United States and a number of European nations whose governments issued the advisories.

Villiers said the WTO Code of Ethics, which has been recognized by the United Nations, stipulate clear guidelines on how governments should manage travel advisories so as not to unnecessarily damage the reputation of the affected tourist destination.

He underscored that "inappropriately worded" advisories have created negative perceptions about certain tourist destinations.

"Governments have a responsibility to advise their citizens on matters of security, but the advice should be carefully and correctly worded (so as) not to create wrong impressions or send out signals that wrongfully harm some destinations," Villiers said in a speech at the opening of the two-day International Conference on Anti-Terrorism and Tourism Recovery being held at the tightly guarded Shangri-La Hotel in Makati City.

He added that travel advisories should be done in a constructive way and should be regularly revised.

"They should be clear and not general, and to say that the country is dangerous than the rest of the countries (in the region is not fair). We ask them to be geographically clear," Villiers said.

He said a report on the issue will be submitted to the WTO Recovery Committee which is scheduled to meet on Nov. 11 to 14 in London.

"We will establish a group of experts that could provide confidential advise to members who have particular problems with travel advisories. A review of the situation regarding travel advisories will be put on the agenda of the next meeting of the WTO executive council next year," Villiers said.

South Korean tourism expert Dho Young Shim said their government was careful in issuing travel advisories because of the huge volume of South Koreans who visit the Philippines who could be affected by an "inappropriate warning."

Dho pointed out that from January to September this year, about 200,000 South Koreans traveled to the Philippines.

Tourism Secretary Richard Gordon emphasized the significance of addressing tourism concerns because many people are economically dependent on the industry.

He hailed the decision of the Commission on East Asia and the Pacific (CEAP) of the WTO to meet in Manila, saying it was a clear indication of the world tourism leaders’ confidence in the Philippines as a tourist destination.

"The holding of the security meeting here of the CEAP-WTO augurs well for the improvement of the country’s image abroad. It is the most opportune time for leaders to converge and create a crisis plan or a resolution on how to fight terrorism," the secretary said in a statement.

Authorities noted, however, that there is hope for the tourism industry because last year alone, travelers to East Asia and the Pacific surpassed the 115 million mark, representing a growth of 5.5 percent.

Delegates from at least 19 countries are attending the two-day WTO meeting in Makati which came on the heels of a powerful car-bomb blast in Bali, Indonesia that killed 190 people, most of them foreign tourists.

In a statement, the Department of Foreign Affairs said the conference, mostly to be held behind closed doors, aims to map out "doable" projects to counter terrorism.

A conference paper stated that the talks would be a "wake-up call to mobilize all resources to minimize the impact of heinous crimes against tourism not only in Bali but within the region."

The participating countries included the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, China, United Kingdom, Hong Kong and the 10 members of ASEAN.