The American Society of Travel Agents has called last week’s worldwide travel alert by the US Department of State as ‘vague and unhelpful.’
ASTA said worldwide travel warnings with no country-specific details are confusing to travelers and have ‘an unintended consequence of discouraging travel everywhere.’
"Vague, overly broad warnings offer travelers little in the way of helpful guidance," said ASTA president and CEO Zane Kerby.
"While the issuance of the alert was no doubt well-intentioned, the lack of any detail particularizing the conditions in specific countries or regions of the world is concerning."
The travel alert called out the risks of more action by militant groups like ISIS, al-Qaeda and Boko Haram ‘in multiple regions’ an also the potential of individual ‘lone wolf’ attacks.
It cautioned all US citizens to be vigilant in public spaces and when using public transportation.
Travelers were also advised to avoid large crowds or crowded places.
The alert remains in place until February 2016.
