When planning trips in 2018, travelers are being advised to steer clear of the ‘Show Me’ state.
That’s what Fodor’s Travel Guide is advising its readers. The prominent New York-based publication included Missouri in its “No List,” which lists places people should consider avoiding for safety and sustainability reasons. Missouri joins Myanmar, on the list for genocide, and Cuba, on the list due to the State Department’s ban on travel there, and Honduras, which was listed because of its high murder rate.
Missouri made this ignominious list for safety and social justice issues in 2017, after the NAACP issued a travel advisory there due to numerous shootings of unarmed black men. Missouri has lax gun laws compared to other states, gun control advocates say, and one of the highest rates of shooting deaths in the country.
A spokesman for Explore St. Louis, a tourism organization representing St. Louis, Missouri, said he was “deeply saddened” to hear this characterization of the state.
“The fact is that St. Louis remains a diverse, cosmopolitan and welcoming region,” he said. “Explore St. Louis fully supports non-discrimination, equal rights and fair and just due process for everyone, regardless of the color of their skin. Be assured that the more than 88,000 dedicated employees of the St. Louis metropolitan area’s hospitality industry remain committed to serving and welcoming people from all backgrounds and experiences to our community.”
Here is the full ‘no-go’ list:
1. The Galapagos
2. The Places that Don’t Want you to Visit (this includes Amsterdam and other crowded destinations)
3. The Taj Mahal
4. Phang Nga Park, Thailand
5. Myanmar
6. Mt. Everest
7. Missouri
8. Honduras
9. Great Wall of China & Beijing, China
10. Cuba
The list was started just last year, and this is the first time a U.S. state has appeared on it. Fodor’s acknowledged Missouri is “full of wonders that belong on anyone’s travel bucket list,” such as Kansas City-style BBQ and a rich jazz scene, but said the state’s political record put it on their list of places not to visit. Fodor’s noted all destinations on the list have merits.
In addition to the NAACP warning, Fodor’s cited the passage of SB 43, a bill that made it more difficult to sue employers for discrimination, and a Missouri State representative saying, there is a “distinction between homosexuality and just being a human being’” as a reason for avoiding Missouri.
The NAACP also noted that in 2017 “a tourist who got lost and ran out of gas was later found murdered in his jail cell without ever being put under arrest,” referencing the death of Tory Sanders, an African-American man from Nashville who was killed in a jail altercation following his arrest. It also noted two men were hunted down and shot on suspicion of being Muslim on the outskirts of Kansas City, an incident that actually occurred on the Kansas side of the city, which straddles state lines.
“Making the No List in no way means they should be avoided forever, but rather due to various concerns, 2018 isn’t the year to visit,” the site said. “In fact, we’re rooting for these places and hope to see them make the jump over to the Go List in the future.”