Thomas Cook extends Tunisia suspension
Thomas Cook has delayed its planned return to Tunisia by another month as the Foreign Office is continuing to warn against all but essential travel to the country following this summer’s terrorist attacks.
The operator said: " In light of this, and given that we have no clear indication as to when the FCO travel advice may change, Thomas Cook can confirm that it has taken the decision to cancel all bookings to Tunisia up until 22nd March 2016."
Customers due to travel up to and including March 22 will be able to cancel or amend their holidays free of charge.
Those who wish to switch to another winter sun destination will be given a £50 holiday voucher to rebook.
Customers who want to re-book for summer 2016 instead will be offered free amendments. They will only be charged any difference in the cost of the holiday.
"At Thomas Cook, the safety and well-being of all those who travel with us is our absolute priority, and we would like to thank our customers for their patience and understanding," said a spokesman.
Thomas Cook announced in August that it was suspending sales for Tunisia until mid-February due to the Foreign Office advice.
A report last week suggested holidaymakers wouldn’t return to the country even if the advice was lifted and that they were steering clear of muslim countries like Tunisia, but Thomas Cook said this was not the case.
"We have seen no evidence that our customers have any significant concerns regarding the safety of their holiday destinations, nor that holidaymakers are choosing not to travel to certain areas for safety reasons," said its spokesman.
"Thomas Cook has already reported that its sales for Summer 15 have progressed well, and that has been across our destinations, irrespective of the political and religious regimes of those countries.
"We recommend that our customers read the relevant advice published by the Foreign & Commonwealth Office before making their holiday decision and before they travel. To make this information even more accessible, we are in the process of introducing additional travel advice on thomascook.com to ensure customers are kept well informed."
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
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