Inquest into Tunisia beach massacre will examine security advice from tour operators
Travel advice given by tour operators and the Foreign Office prior to the terrorist attack on holidaymakers in Tunisia in June will be scrutinized as part of the inquest into the deaths of 30 Britons.
All of the British holidaymakers killed in the attack had travelled to Tunisia with Thomson or sister company First Choice.
A group of 15 families of the British victims of the attacks together with several of the survivors are suing Thomson and First Choice parent company TUI for damages for allegedly failing to provide adequate security at the hotel in Sousse where a lone gunman carried out the massacre.
They are being represented by law firm Irwin Mitchell, which is claiming that TUI failed to provide reasonable security precautions or adequate warnings to guests before and during their stays.
Judge Nicholas Loraine-Smith, who is acting a coroner for the inquest, has promised ‘a full, fair and fearless’ investigation into the British deaths at the inquest, although this will not be held until next October or January 2017.
Speaking at an initial review this week, Loraine-Smith said the initial scope of his investigation would include looking at the adequacy of travel advice provided by the Foreign Office and travel companies, in addition to the incident itself.
In total, 38 people died when a lone terrorist opened fire at sunbathers on a beach in Sousse then continued his rampage in a nearby hotel.
It wasn’t until two weeks after the attack, which followed an earlier assault on tourists at the Bardo museum in Tunis, that the Foreign Office imposed a travel ban for Tunisia.
The ban remains and tour operators have still not resumed holidays to the country, which revealed yesterday that it had foiled a second attack at Sousse planned for this month. A Tunisian official said a cell of 17 Islamist militants had been arrested.
Tunisia is also conducting its own inquest into the Sousse murders and Loraine-Smith said he was in contact with the Tunisian judge and expected to receive material from him next month.
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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