SITE's Brenda Anderson
The number and nature of global travel
advisories issued by the United States and other Western
governments has sparked a call for change from travel industry
groups such as the Chicago-based Society of Incentive & Travel
Executives.
SITE, with 1,800 members from 82 nations, is backing a recent
World Trade Organization report urging countries to reform
advisories by adding more detail for greater transparency and
balance.
“Travel advisories are too general and sweeping,” said Brenda
Anderson, CEO of SITE. She added that advisories can be especially
damaging to the incentive industry, since programs tend to be drawn
to emerging destinations that are more vulnerable to safety
warnings than more established sites.
Anderson said SITE will explore the impact of travel advisories
and work to raise awareness of the problem.
Meanwhile, at least in the United States, officials don’t see a
problem with advisories.
“No tweaking is necessary,” said a spokesperson for the
Washington, D.C.-based Consular Affairs Bureau of the Department of
State. “Warnings are written carefully to reflect security concerns
we have for American citizens. It’s not about tourism promotion;
it’s to let people know what we know so they can make up their own
minds.”
Among the once-popular destinations that have seen incentive
business drop due to a State Department warning is Kenya. According
to Andrea N. Hugo, president of Virginia Beach, Va.-based Andrea
Hugo Associates, which represents destination firms in Africa,
business in that country has gone from 30 groups a year to
zero.
“I have to tell prospective clients about the warning, and I’m
sure that puts them off,” Hugo said. “Even if clients feel
comfortable traveling there themselves, they have to sell the
destination to their clients. And why propose a place that could be
an issue with upper management?”