I am not going there!
March 11th 2008 23:47
Category: No Category
We are all about political issues: from environmental protection (like whaling) to human rights movements to countries doing nasty things to other countries. These things are happening around the world everyday.
To some, it doesn't really affect their urge to travel to that country. To others, it almost seem to betray the rest of the world by travelling to that country and supporting its tourism income.
I know that for myself, I refuse to go to China at the moment. Yes, it is about me being Taiwanese. I have nothing against their people, but it's their stubborn government that gets on my nerves. My first and last trip to China was on business in Shanghai. My manager's personal assistant got all our passports and put in our visa applications in bulk. Everyone got theirs but me and the reason was, on my Australian passport where 'Birth Place' was listed as 'TAIPEI', it was rejected. On the visa application form I was forced to write 'China' despite what is being printed on my passport, before it can be approved.
I had no choice at the time as business should go as usual, I submitted, but since then, unless their rules change, I am not going. No matter how beautiful it looks on the travel brochures.
It's a matter of principle.
I also know some people who now refuse to travel to Japan because of the current whaling issues, and some refuse to go to Burma because of their human rights issues.
What do you think? Do you also avoid certain countries because you don't agree with its political views and movements? (Besides those that are blatantly dangerious at the moment as listed on the Smart Traveller website.)
To some, it doesn't really affect their urge to travel to that country. To others, it almost seem to betray the rest of the world by travelling to that country and supporting its tourism income.
I know that for myself, I refuse to go to China at the moment. Yes, it is about me being Taiwanese. I have nothing against their people, but it's their stubborn government that gets on my nerves. My first and last trip to China was on business in Shanghai. My manager's personal assistant got all our passports and put in our visa applications in bulk. Everyone got theirs but me and the reason was, on my Australian passport where 'Birth Place' was listed as 'TAIPEI', it was rejected. On the visa application form I was forced to write 'China' despite what is being printed on my passport, before it can be approved.
I had no choice at the time as business should go as usual, I submitted, but since then, unless their rules change, I am not going. No matter how beautiful it looks on the travel brochures.
It's a matter of principle.
I also know some people who now refuse to travel to Japan because of the current whaling issues, and some refuse to go to Burma because of their human rights issues.
What do you think? Do you also avoid certain countries because you don't agree with its political views and movements? (Besides those that are blatantly dangerious at the moment as listed on the Smart Traveller website.)
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