Australian authorities have raised the travel advice level for Laos due to the risk of crime and methanol poisoning, which claimed the lives of women Bianca Jones and Holly Morton-Bowles.
The heightening of the advice level comes after a Lao distillery owner was charged over the mass poisoning incident in 2024 which claimed the lives of six tourists, including the two Australian women.
On the the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade's (DFAT) SmartTraveller website, an update from July 17 warns tourists to be aware of "crime, the risk of methanol poisoning and ongoing concerns around lack of transparency in the justice system".
"The Lao legal system may not provide transparency or justice, particularly in criminal cases. Authorities may apply the law inconsistently,"
the update said.
"Several foreign nationals, including Australians, died of methanol poisoning through consuming alcoholic drinks in 2024. Be alert to the potential risks, particularly with spirit-based drinks, including cocktails."
The government specifically identified the risk of methanol poisoning and a lack of transparency in the justice system when raising the advice level for Laos. (smartraveller.gov.au)
DFAT is also warning tourists against consuming "Tiger" branded spirits, which it is believed Ms Morton-Bowles and Ms Jones drank prior to their deaths.
"Lao authorities issued an order prohibiting the sale and consumption of Tiger Vodka and Tiger Whisky due to their concerns about these products being a health risk," the update said.
"Australians should avoid consuming these products due to these serious safety concerns."
The Nana backpackers hostel in Vang Vieng, Laos, where Bianca Jones and Holly Morton-Bowles drank tainted cocktails. (ABC News: Mitchell Woolnough )
The update raises the travel advice to Level 2, which DFAT says represents higher risks than in a large Australian city.
"We're not saying don't go to this location. But do your research and take extra precautions," the SmartTraveller website states.
Families left outraged by charges
The update to Laos travel advice follows calls from the families of Ms Jones and Ms Morton-Bowles, who have been outspoken in asking for better travel warnings for those heading to south-east Asia.
The families have also expressed outrage over the perceived leniency in charges laid by Lao authorities on the distillery owner.
Australian media were not granted access to a press conference on Friday afternoon in the capital Vientiane where the charges were announced.
But Denmark's Minister of Foreign Affairs reported the charges, which include the sale of food products harmful to health and operating an illegal business.
Two of the victims of the 2024 mass poisoning were from Denmark.
"The charges carry a penalty ranging from three months to four years' imprisonment, as well as a fine," Denmark's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.
Bianca's father, Mark Jones, told the ABC earlier that "[feeling] furious would be an understatement" over the charges.
Shaun Bowles and Mark Jones have called on the Australian government to intervene. (ABC News: Kyle Harley)
"I don't have words for the disgust that I have with what the Laos authorities are suggesting is meant to be justice for the deaths of six tourists," he told the ABC.
"I'm calling on the Australian government to do all they can to intervene."
In a statement on Friday, Foreign Minister Penny Wong concurred with the families, saying the government was "deeply frustrated and bitterly disappointed that authorities in Laos are not pursuing the most serious charges" over the poisonings.
"We have consistently made clear our expectations that charges should reflect the gravity of the tragedy that claimed the lives of Holly and Bianca in November 2024," Ms Wong said in the statement.
"This includes the Prime Minister and I expressing these expectations directly to our respective counterparts.
"Since their deaths, Australia has advocated for a thorough and transparent investigation that takes into account all available evidence and for those responsible to be held to account."
Ms Wong said Laos' ambassador had been called into a meeting in Canberra on Friday, and that a special envoy continued to engaged with local Lao authorities to achieve progress in the investigation.
Travel industry supports Laos warning
The heads of two major Australian travel companies have thrown their support behind the decision to raise the travel advice for Laos.
Luxury Escapes CEO Adam Schwab and Flight Centre Managing Director Graham Turner told the ABC they believed DFAT overstepped with travel warnings for the Middle East earlier this year, but both agreed it was reasonable to raise the level in this instance.
"And probably too long coming, to be fair," added Mr Schwab.
"This was an unbelievable tragedy that shouldn't have happened and I think the level of warning is appropriate."
Graham Turner says people need to be more careful when travelling to Laos. (ABC: Thomas Pawson)
Mr Turner said Laos remained popular with young Australians.
"This methanol poisoning is bad enough by itself but what appears to be a lack of justice to the people who've done this means it could easily happen again," Mr Turner said.
He said it did not appear that the authorities in Laos had learnt from what had happened
"The punishment seems so light, it's not good for Laos for their tourism," he said.
"There are a lot of people who are not going to go to Laos because of this and you can't blame them, can you?"
Adam Schwab says the raising of the travel advice for Laos was a legitimate and overdue move. (Supplied: Luxury Escapes)
But Mr Schwab said he did not think DFAT's advice would deter Australians.
"I don't think it'll change people's travel patterns or how they travel," he said.
"Laos was already a country that did have higher risks just due to the nature of where it is in the development cycle and this just reinforces those risks.
"Australian travellers are pretty smart. We travel a lot and we travel a long way, so we're used to travelling through regions that are sometimes precarious."
Young travellers 'unlikely' to look up warnings
University of Queensland tourism expert Gabby Walters said it was unusual to see a travel warning being changed due to a single event such as the Laos methanol poisoning.
"Generally travel warnings are a little bit more macro than these kind of events," Dr Walters said.
"This is something that happened within a business within a hotel, it wasn't necessarily a war, it wasn't necessarily something that had a significant risk for the majority of people … so it is quite interesting."
Dr Gabby Walters says young travellers are less likely to look up the government's travel warnings. (Supplied: University of Queensland)
She said young adventure travellers were less likely to pay attention to the government's travel warnings.
She said the message needed to be spread through social media, and even then it may not prompt them to change their plans.
"It won't necessarily stop them from travelling, but it may make them think twice about the kind of beverages that they buy," she said.
"Risk doesn't necessarily deter young people in the same way as the older generation."
