State Department Travel Warnings Put Agents In Tough Spot, Retailers Say
by Barbara Peterson /The U.S. State Department’s sweeping caution on travel to all of Europe—issued in the wake of the twin terror attacks in Brussels—is putting travel agents and other travel sellers in a tough spot, industry sources say.
“Terrorist groups continue to plan near term attacks throughout Europe, targeting sporting events, tourist sites, restaurants, and transportation,” the department said, although it didn’t advise travelers to avoid travel, but simply to exercise caution.
But by issuing such a broad alert—not just naming a region or country, but a whole continent—the government could be unnecessarily stirring up fears about venturing abroad, putting agents in the uncomfortable position of advising clients on the safety and security ramifications of their travel plans.
In fact, ASTA has previously complained about the U.S. government’s tendency to issue such open-ended messages, such as the “worldwide travel alert” posted last November, using almost the same wording in advising Americans to “remain vigilant” and to avoid crowds.
“Vague, generalized worldwide travel warnings that offer no country-specific details can be confusing to travelers and risk discouraging travel across the board,” ASTA said, adding that they “offer travelers little in the way of helpful guidance.”
There are possible legal implications, too, if a client goes to a destination that is the subject of a warning. While all such warnings “are taken seriously and passed on to customers by travel agent members,” ASTA said, it’s up to the individual client to make the final decision on when and where to travel. Yet some agents worry that if something does happen while the customer is abroad, they could still be viewed as liable.
“That’s why agencies have insurance,” said Rick Ardis, president of Ardis Travel, in East Rutherford, NJ, and a former ASTA chapter chair. He noted that as an ASTA member, he gets travel bulletins from headquarters and passes them on to clients, but he added that “even if you do everything right, there is always a chance that someone will try to sue you.”
But what if the client feels they need more information to assess the situation, and specifically asks the agent to advise them? Among other things, ASTA and other trade groups warn that travel sellers should be very careful before issuing anything that could be construed as a guarantee. Advising clients on what type of travel insurance to purchase is a better strategy, they said.
Ardis said he fielded several calls from clients following the latest alert from State. “I pointed out to them that it’s just a warning, advising people to pay attention,” he said. “I always say, ‘You have to do what feels comfortable.’ ”
The customers, one of whom was heading to Italy and the other to Bordeaux for a river cruise, decided to proceed with their travel plans, he said.
“It doesn’t seem to be affecting the people who are planning to go,” he said. “It’s affecting people who are looking for a reason not to go.”
Security experts say that these types of warnings may become more common as the threat from ISIS continues. Edward Clark, senior security consultant for iJET International, a Maryland-based consultancy, said that “while it seems extreme at first glance, the warning is not really peculiar for the situation at hand. With attacks all across Europe, it would be ill-advised to single out a specific country.”
While the guidance from the U.S. government is indeed vague, he said there are some useful strategies that agents could pass along to clients; among other things, when booking airline and rail travel, choosing departures at non-peak times is probably the best strategy. And that’s where an agent’s expertise can be of value.