by The Foreign Office has come under fire after more than 35 MPs and travel operators signed a petition arguing its travel advice is “outdated” and “too strict”.
The open letter, coordinated by the Experience Travel Group, says the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) advice for Sri Lanka is “synthetic” and criticizes the government for “systematically undermining the travel industry” by keep warnings that “unnecessarily hinder Wales. citizens from visiting”.
The FCDO page in Sri Lanka warns that terrorist attacks are “likely” and warns of political and economic unrest in the country, among other advice. The last terror attack in Sri Lanka took place almost five years ago, in April 2019, when more than 250 people were killed, including eight British citizens.
The FCDO’s advice is designed to protect and assist British citizens traveling abroad, with information on safety and security, immunization and visa requirements, as well as embassy contact details. It is the UK authority on overseas safety, and the Telegraph Travel desk only recommends trips to destinations deemed safe by the FCDO.
However, during the pandemic, the FCDO council came under the spotlight. Their pages detailed Covid travel advice, such as the controversial “traffic light” system, and more than ever these politely informative corners of the internet were the source of breaking news and, inevitably, their words of wisdom scrutinized.
That seems to have carried over into the post-Covid era. The latest campaign argues not only for an update to the Sri Lanka page, but for “ministers to reform the FCDO’s approach from the bottom up [to ensure] there is consistency so that tourism industries and travelers alike can trust the council again”.
How did we get here, and is there a real need for a fresh look at the FCDO advice pages?
Development of Foreign Office advice
Jonny Bealby has traveled a lot while running adventure tour operator Wild Frontiers. He remembers the early days of the FCDO council. “My only memory of Foreign Office warnings before the Internet is when I was traveling across the Med from Marseille to Tunisia on a trans-African motorcycle trip,” he says.
“I turned on my shortwave radio to hear an announcement on the BBC World Service – I take it at the Foreign Office – telling people to ‘Leave Zaire immediately. Take one’s bag and no pets.’ The year was 1991. It was October, and President Mobutu was beginning to lose his grip on power. That’s how they told people at the time, through the radio and the BBC World Service.”
In the pre-internet age, Foreign Office advice was less popular than it is in today’s era of independent travel. The vast majority of people booked their trip abroad with a high street travel agent, so if there were any concerns they would be raised at this point, or – for those few who travel independently – it would be a phone call away. there to the Foreign Office. , keep the radio on, and read the newspaper regularly for updates.
These days, the FCDO has an online travel advice page for every country in the world. And his words offer more than just guidance. Most insurance firms say their cover will not be valid if a destination’s FCDO advice against travel is in place before clients depart, and most Atol-protected tour operators will cancel holidays in this case and they will offer a full refund or a booking option. As of last month, the Foreign Office has blacklisted 66 countries in whole or in part – which is a fifth of the world’s land area.
Are FCDO warnings becoming more severe?
The Sri Lankan petitioners point to the wording in the Safety and Security page. It is as follows: “Terrorists are likely to try to carry out attacks in Sri Lanka. Attacks may be indiscriminate, including in places visited by foreigners such as hotels, tourist sites and places of worship. Avoid crowded public places, large gatherings and demonstrations, and follow the advice of local authorities.” It follows the Easter Sunday attacks in 2019, when more than 250 were killed in attacks on three churches and three hotels in Colombo, Negombo and Batticaloa.
The FCDO’s language regarding terrorism is similar across its pages. On the French page, there is the warning that a terrorist attack is “very” likely, and it lists the places where these could happen (such as shopping centers and at cultural events). He says tourists should “be vigilant” in public places. Germany, Sweden and Belgium also have a “probable” terror warning. In Spain, Greece and the Netherlands an attack is “probable”, but in Italy, Portugal and Croatia “it cannot be ruled out”.
A spokesman for the FCDO said: “The safety of British people is the main factor when deciding our travel advice. Our advice is designed to help British people make informed decisions about traveling abroad and is under constant review to ensure it reflects our latest assessment of risks when traveling abroad.”
When you dig into the fine print of FCDO’s pages, there are instances where the guide teeters on hand-holding. For example, Spain: “Be careful when swimming in the sea”; Turkey: “Accepting lifters from strangers can be dangerous”; USA: “Check the weather conditions before a long car journey”; Croatia: “Don’t leave valuables unattended”. It could be argued that they would all come under the purview of common sense.
It is intended to update the FCDO advice regularly; however, some of its pages are seriously out of date. The Greek page reads: “Athens will host the UEFA Europa League on Thursday 30 November between AEK and Brighton.” That game was almost three months ago.
And some statements are a bit sweeping. The Cyprus page reads: “Driving standards are poor and there is an increased risk of road deaths compared to the UK.” There were 34 road deaths in Cyprus in 2023 (one in 36,500 residents) but there were 1,633 road deaths in Great Britain (one in 41,200 residents) – a margin, some argue, that does not reflect much worse standards.
The rebellious travel firms
Although most tour operators – such as Tui, Jet2Holidays or easyJet Holidays – would cancel an itinerary if there is an orange FCDO advisory against “all non-essential travel”, or a red warning against “all travel”, to a destination, attitude newer by others.
Andrea Godfrey, Head of Regent Holidays, explains The Telegraph: “The safety of our clients is always and without a doubt the most important thing. An FCDO orange advisor does not automatically take a destination out of the sale, but we take our guidance based on thorough investigation with our trusted local partners, who are usually in the best position to advise on the situation on the ground, and ensure that insurance is in place travel there. policies on the market that provide adequate coverage.
“Our experience from selling destinations like Albania and North Korea is that the advice can be slow to rise, out of date, or – sometimes – politically motivated, and not always an accurate reflection of the level of risk in the destination. Ultimately the decision will be made by our clients, based on the most informed and up-to-date advice we can give, and backed by valid travel insurance.”
Jonny Bealby from Wild Frontiers says: “I’m very sympathetic to the impossible task they’ve set themselves and I think it’s – mainly – a genuine desire to get the right advice for travellers. That doesn’t mean I always agree with it, or even understand it – how can Srinagar be considered too dangerous for Brits, but fine for hundreds of thousands of Indian tourists? – but I think they try to get it right.
“Some of our customers will take FCDO’s advice literally and will not travel if there is an anti-travel advisor. Others are more sanguine about these days and as long as we can provide them with adequate insurance, will travel. We have a number of tours that exceed the FCDO advice that sell well: Kashmir, Laos and Pakistan among them.
“Am I worried about it? I usually take my advice from somewhere else.”
