Think all advice is created equal? Here's how travel warnings compare

Do different governments offer different advice in response to a crisis? Yes, and here's a good example. In response to the protests in Tibet turning violent, the following governments have issued the following advice:

Australia says:

"Several days of protest activity by Tibetan monks in Lhasa turned violent on 14 March, with reports of rioting and property damage. The situation on the streets of Lhasa remains tense. In these circumstances, you should reconsider your need to travel to Lhasa. "

See the advice update here.


Canada says:

"OFFICIAL WARNING: Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada advises against non-essential travel to Tibet.

"Reports of rioting in Lhasa, Tibet, have been received from the region. Some Embassies in Beijing have received first-hand reports from foreign nationals in the city who report gunfire and other indications of violence.

"Canadian citizens in Tibet and especially in Lhasa are advised to avoid areas where demonstrations are taking place. Canadian citizens in Lhasa should seek safe havens in hotels and other buildings and remain indoors to the extent possible. All care should be taken to avoid unnecessary movement within the city until the situation is under control.

"Canadians who were planning on travel to Tibet are advised to defer non-essential travel at this time."

Read the full advice here.


The United Kingdom says:

"There are reports of widespread unrest in the city of Lhasa. There is no indication that foreigners are being targeted, but there is potential for anyone in the city to be caught up in the violence.

"British nationals are advised to avoid areas where demonstrations are taking place. You should seek safe havens in hotels and other buildings and remain indoors. All care should be taken to avoid unnecessary movement within the city until the situation is under control. British nationals should be aware that videoing or photographing protests could be regarded as provocative by the authorities in Tibet.

"We are investigating reports that flights into and out of Tibet have been suspended.

"British nationals due to travel to Tibet should contact their tour operator."


The United States says:

"This Warden Message is to advise Americans of reports of rioting in Lhasa, Tibet. Some U.S. news media are reporting violence associated with protests in the city of Lhasa. The Embassy has just received first-hand reports from American citizens in the city who report gunfire and other evidence of violence.

"American citizens in Tibet and especially in Lhasa are advised to avoid areas where demonstrations are taking place. U.S. citizens in Lhasa should seek safe havens in hotels and other buildings, and to remain indoors to the extent possible. All care should be taken to avoid unnecessary movement within the city until the situation is under control.

"Americans who were planning on travel to Tibet are advised to defer travel at this time."

See the full Warden Message here. Note that this warning was put out by the Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC), which is a U.S. government inter-agency website (which includes the Department of State). If you were relying on the DoS's Travel Warnings and Travel Alerts alone, you would miss this information entirely. (Urgent information is often distributed by OSAC rather than the DoS).

Essentially, all of the governments are telling travellers to avoid Tibet for now. As you can see, the rest of the information differs -- likely based on their respective resources. One has heard reports about flight disruption while another had heard reports of gunfire. The AU government doesn't provide as much detail (perhaps it doesn't have to, or contacts its citizens directly).

The distribution is also different. OSAC issues Warden Messages separate from country-specific travel advice, while the other three disseminate information by updating their country travel advice pages (subscribers are notified of changes through email or RSS). Of course, many other governments issue travel warnings as well. My intention here is to show a sample of how the content differs from place to place even though the message is often the same.

Anyone curious about the situation should also check out the latest news online. A post on GoGirlfriend Travel outlines some of what the latest reports are saying.

Who offers the best advice? My recommendation is to compare. As you can see in this post, one source alone might not cover everything.

UPDATE (March 16):

• The U.S. State Department added a Travel Alert for China on March 15.
• On March 16, New Zealand Foreign Affairs updated its advice for Tibet.
• Australia and the UK have updated their advice over the weekend.