OFT issues new advice over holiday clubs
Spain: Huge rise in complaints leads to warning for holidaymakers
The Office of Fair Trading has issued a warning against the dangers of signing up to join “holiday clubs” after a massive rise in complaints.
According to reports in most of today’s newspapers, OFT has received more than 700 complaints in the last year, relating to people who paid up to £25,000 to join a “club” and then received little or nothing in return.
The watchdog says the problem is greatest in mainland Spain and the Canary Islands, where salespeople use high-pressure tactics – or plain deception – to swindle travellers out of their money. New “members” are promised preferential booking conditions, cheap deals and the like – but many of the promises are broken and there have been many reports of the companies folding or simply disappearing.
The deputy director general of OFT, Penny Boys, told the Daily Mail: “Unscrupulous holiday club companies prey on people’s aspirations – cheap luxury holidays for life is a very attractive prospect. But they often do not deliver what they promise and consumers are left thousands of pounds out of pocket.”
OFT warned that companies found to be operating illegally could be closed down, with those in charge facing up to two years in jail.
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 
France prepares for a massive strike across all transports on September 18
Turkish tourism stalls due to soaring prices for accommodation and food
CCS Insight: eSIMs ready to take the travel world by storm
Germany new European Entry/Exit System limited to a single airport on October 12, 2025
Airlines suspend Madagascar services following unrest and army revolt