Drownings among holidaymakers abroad on the increase
New research from the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents has revealed
a sharp rise in the number of Britons drowning abroad.
Some 73 people drowned on holiday in 2003, an increase of 13 over the previous
year. Seventeen were under the age of eighteen and, of those, nine were under
10. In 2002, 12 fatalities were under 18, six of them under 10.
Last year, most of the deaths occurred in Mediterranean resorts – eight in both
Spain and France and 11 in Greece and Cyprus combined.
Peter Cornall, head of water and leisure safety at RoSPA, said many deaths could
be prevented if people took more care to check facilities at pools and beaches.
He also said tour operators needed to offer better safety standards.
“People should put pressure on tour operators and find out if the hotel pools
have proper depth markings and a lifeguard,” said Mr Cornall. “If not, they
should consider going elsewhere.
“In our experience, standards are often high when one of the major travel
companies has control over a hotel – but this is not always the case when the
property is shared by several operators.”
Mr Cornall said villas with pools, which have become increasingly popular in recent
years following extensive building in Greece and Turkey, were not always
suitable for families.
“People see a villa with a pool as a great luxury, but they need to think twice
about whether it is right for them,” he said. “Parents can become trapped as
24-hour-a-day lifeguards.”
Thomson said none of its clients drowned abroad last year and insisted it
offered consistent safety standards at all the properties featured in its
programmes.
“We insist on strict standards of safety, such as depth markers and ‘no diving’
signs, regardless of whether we own the property or not,” said a spokesman.
“Nine out of ten properties do not have lifeguards. Holidaymakers can ask their
travel agent or tour company about this before they go and, if they wish, try to
switch to a property which has a lifeguard.”
Report by Jeremy Skidmore
Phil Davies
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Phocuswright reveals the world's largest travel markets in volume in 2025
Higher departure tax and visa cost, e-arrival card: Japan unleashes the fiscal weapon against tourists
Cyclone in Sri Lanka had limited effect on tourism in contrary to media reports
Singapore to forbid entry to undesirable travelers with new no-boarding directive
Euromonitor International unveils world’s top 100 city destinations for 2025