From dress codes to terrorism, a summer of warnings for tourists
The day before the June 28 terrorist attacks on Istanbul’s international airport, the State Department had updated and reissued its warning to U.S. citizens traveling in Turkey to stay away from crowds at tourist destinations and to “remain vigilant” in public places such as transportation hubs.
Within minutes after the explosions, the department warned Americans, via Twitter, to avoid the airport. Over the next 24 hours, nearly two dozen messages reminded travelers to call concerned loved ones and advised them on how to begin rebooking flights home.
It has been a busy year for the department’s Consular Information Program. Since the end of May, advisories have included warnings about travel to Bangladesh, Haiti, Kenya and Venezuela.
U.S. citizens also were alerted to “the risk of potential terrorist attacks throughout Europe, targeting major events, tourist sites, restaurants, commercial centers and transportation.” As it does every six months, the State Department advised against any travel to Iraq.
Americans and their government are not the only ones unnerved by the chaos sweeping many parts of the world. Some countries are equally worried about their citizens traveling here.
After a United Arab Emirates tourist, wearing a traditional robe and speaking on a cellphone in Arabic, was detained at gunpoint by police in Ohio over the Fourth of July weekend, that government cautioned travelers to “refrain from wearing the national dress” in public places while traveling in the West.
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