India asks Australia to withdraw travel advisory

PERTH: Taking serious note of the travel advisories against it, India on Wednesday raised the issue with Australia, asking it to withdraw issuance of such notices which have “disproportionate” language and were contrary to the current tourist trend.

Minister of External Affairs SM Krishna, who is here to attend the CHOGM Foreign Ministers Meeting, held talks with his Australian counterpart Kevin Rudd and raised the issue in detail, official sources said here. Krishna asked Rudd to withdraw issuance of travel advisory for tourists travelling to India. “The language in these advisory is rather disproportionate and contrary to the current trend of tourism to India,” he told Rudd. Responding to Krishna, Rudd said such advisories were “routine” advice and “we do not have any information of any specific threat to share with India.”

According to official sources, Krishna is also expected to raise the issue with his other counterparts including Canada and New Zealand. In the wake of many countries, including US and Australia, issuing travel advisories to their citizens , New Delhi has taken a serious note of the issue, maintaining such notices do not reflect the reality and have adverse affect on the tourism to the country.

Later in his bilateral meeting with New Zealand Foreign Minister Murray McCully, Krishna raised the issue of travel advisories . McCully assured Krishna that he will look into the matter, saying “the advisory is an awareness to avoid all rallies and demonstrations.”