Japan issues travel warning for Oz

[LSDeep]

SYDNEY, Australia (17 Apr 2005) -- Australia's high crime rates have prompted Japan to issue a travel advisory warning tourists to beware of Aussie thieves.

Due to Australia's extremely high rate of theft and muggings, Japan's Foreign Ministry has warned tourists to Australia's Gold Coast region not to leave valuables in locked hotel rooms and "to keep a tight grip on hand and shoulder bags".

Japanese travelers pump $2.7 billion into Australia's economy every year and Tourism Australia, which competes with Hawaii, Thailand, Fiji and other popular Japanese tourist destinations, is struggling to spin Japan's travel advisory as a non-issue.

"Our Japanese travellers are far more interested in the reasons they want to come to the Gold Coast rather than a few little notes here and there on a web site, so I think its impact is negligible if anything at all," said tourism promoter Scott Morrison.

But CDNN Travel Editor Carmen Sanchez said that Japanese travelers are more likely than any other nationality to change their travel plans based on official government travel advisories and warned all dive travelers to Australia to take extra precautions to prevent thefts.

"Unfortunately for the good guys, crime pays in Australia and theft is rampant , far worse than in developing nations of the Asia Pacific region," explained Sanchez. "The high value of scuba diving equipment makes it a prime target for thieves in Australia's resort areas and airport baggage handling areas."

"Another concern for savvy travelers to Australia is overcharging, an issue that surfaced several years ago when CDNN reported on Mike Ball's pricing scam that discriminated against Japanese and American divers with prices 40 percent above standard rates," added Sanchez. "That's another form of theft that seems to be considered 'good sport' by many Australian tourism officials, hotels and dive boat operators."
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[LSDeep]

SYDNEY, Australia (16 Apr 2005) -- Australia's national carrier Qantas Airways will install cameras in baggage handling areas at airports around the country and in the holds of some aircraft after a series of security breaches, one involving a camel suit.

In a much publicised security breach last week, a Qantas baggage handler drove across the Sydney airport tarmac wearing a camel suit which he had taken out of a passenger's baggage.

The camel suit incident prompted scores of passengers to contact a Sydney newspaper with reports of stolen clothes, laptops and underwear from their baggage at airports.

Qantas chief executive Geoff Dixon said the security camera upgrade was a reaction to heightened public concern about the security of baggage.

"Significant additional equipment will ensure, as closely as possible, 100 percent coverage of key baggage areas in terminals owned or solely leased by Qantas," Dixon said in a statement.

"Our own statistics show that, despite recent publicity, incidents of baggage tampering within Qantas are extremely rare."

Qantas already has more than 900 closed circuit cameras at airports. The new security measures will apply to nine terminals owned or leased by Qantas in Australia.

Australian Justice Minister Chris Ellison welcomed Qantas' security upgrade, saying that it "will help to renew the traveling public's confidence in security at baggage handling areas at its terminals".

Australian tourism officials declined to reply to CDNN's inquiry about baggage theft at airports in Australia.

Source - Reuters

(same can be said for Air Jamaica - you want to know it arrives with you, keep it with you!)