Travel industry thanked for crushing fake gastric flu claims
Britain’s ambassador to Spain today thanked the travel industry for the work done to combat fake holiday sickness claims.
Simon Manley said that by working together, the industry and the government had managed to restore the reputation of British holidaymakers in Spain.
In June last year, ABTA launched its Stop Sickness Scams campaign to warn holidaymakers of the consequences of making false claims following an unprecedented rise in alleged gastric cases from Brits returning from foreign holidays.
At the same time, it called for the government to close a loophole in the law so that holiday claims would be limited to a fixed amount.
Campaign supporters included destination partners and ABTA members, including Thomas Cook, TUI, Monarch and Jet2 Holidays.
Manley said the campaign, which resulted in some fake claimants being sued by hoteliers and tour operators, had been a success, but he said it had been a tough summer in Spain, with 330 British deaths and 400 British visitors hospitalised.
He said the trade and the government needed to continue to work together to ensure Briton’s holidays were ‘safe and secure’.
Another, potentially far greater threat to British tourism in Spain is Brexit, but, speaking at the ABTA convention, Manley said he was working closely with the Spanish government to try to ensure that frictionless travel would continue after the UK leaves the European Union.
He said he was looking forward to working with the travel industry on ensuring freedom of movement after Britain leaves the EU next March, whatever the outcome of negotiations between the British government and the EU.
"We don’t think that we won’t get an agreement but we are preparing for there not being an agreement," he told delegates.
He said that regardless of whether the UK secured an agreement with the EU or not, ‘we will be working with you to make sure British tourism here in Spain and across the world continues to flourish’.
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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