TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – As Cuba has refused entry to several Taiwanese passport holders trying to enter the country, travel agencies should suspend plans for tours to the country, the Tourism Administration said Tuesday (March 26).

There have been several reports of travelers holding Taiwanese passports but not being allowed to visit Cuba, per CNA. As a result, the Tourism Administration wrote a letter to tour operators asking them to adjust or postpone plans for groups to visit the country.

In the latest instance, Taiwanese citizens living in Canada flew to Cuba using valid travel documents. However, when they showed their passports with “Taiwan” printed on the cover, Cuban immigration officers sent them back to Canada, supposedly because “China does not recognize Taiwan is a country.”

Because this was not an isolated incident, the Tourism Administration asked travel agencies to postpone or reorganize tour schedules to Cuba. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) has issued an orange alert for the Caribbean country, cautioning citizens against any unnecessary travel.

The Tourism Administration emphasized that the warning amounted to a suggestion, and not a ban on tours. Travel agencies needed to be aware that Taiwanese travelers might be refused entry to Cuba, the Tourism Administration said.