Modulate your travel advisory carefully, India tells US

India told the US on Tuesday that its travel advisory warning American tourists of possible terror attacks during the festival season had used language that is “disproportionate”.

India told the US on Tuesday that its travel advisory warning American tourists of possible terror attacks during the festival season had used language that is “disproportionate”.

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“We have certainly told the Americans – and we will be speaking to others (four other countries) – that the language in these advisories is a little disproportionate,” foreign secretary Ranjan Mathai told reporters.

“We will continue to convey to them that whatever they wish to do under their own legal obligations should be proportionate and carefully modulated.”

The US warned its citizens “to pay particular attention to their personal security during the Indian holiday season”. The UK, Australia, New Zealand and Canada have also issued similar advisories. Tourism minister Subodh Kant Sahai had a discussion with Mathai on the issue.

Sahai told Mathai the issue of terrorism was being raised to create a scare, and pointed out that Jammu and Kashmir had recorded the highest number of tourist arrivals this year in the past 25 years.

The minister said such advisories could have a negative impact on the tourism industry.

The government has accused the media of being partially responsible for the advisories. “Some countries seem to have based their advisories on reports about heightened security in a section of the press,” said Mathai. He said the government had issued advisories, which “were not of the same nature”, and added that the advisories were based on a combination of different sources.