Operators in dilemma over Tunisia, says AITO chairman
Operators are caught between a rock and a hard place over Tunisia, says AITO chairman Derek Moore.
He said in light of the new travel advice from the Foreign Office, tour operators have no choice but to bring back British customers and cancel tours.
But at the same time, says Moore, operators don’t want to abandon the county which relies so heavily on tourism.
"Responsible tour operators, no matter what they think about continuing to operate to Tunisia, will not go against FCO advice, not least because to do so would in all probability invalidate their clients’ insurance policies," he said.
"But of course in withdrawing operations to Tunisia tour operators could be accused of abandoning a country which needs tourism desperately if its economy is not to suffer a major recession, hence the rock and the hard place."
But Moore believes there is a measure of hope and optimism in the case of Tunisia.
"The Tunisian authorities have won much credibility for admitting swiftly that security and reaction to the incident on the beach was not handled as well as it should have been; a contrast to the usual defensive denial of the indefensible that usually marks a Government reaction to situations of this sort," said Moore.
"They have also been swift to take action against those thought to be responsible for supporting the lone gunman at Sousse. For these reasons it may well be that the situation in Tunisia might well be resolved to the point where tourists can return relatively swiftly."
AITO specialists to Tunisia operate mainly in the winter months so their customers have not been directly affected by the horrific gun attack in Sousse.
But they will be watching developments carefully in the run-up to the winter season.
Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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