Travel companies taking consumers for a ride with ‘misleading’ pictures

A TRAVEL firm has been reported to the advertising watchdog for allegedly using misleading photographs of holiday destinations which do not match up to reality, according to Which?

An investigation by the consumer group found multiple examples of companies promoting holidays through attractive photographs published online, which travellers complained had deceived them.

In one case, a tourist arrived in Majorca at what she thought was her beachfront hotel to find out she was actually booked in a “sister” property further away, while another woman said her “VIP cottage” booked on the Isle of Wight was akin to a “prison yard”.

Travellers highlighted by Which? received cash refunds after they complained but said they had fallen victim to “false advertising”.

Which? said it had reported Holiday Hypermarket, part of the Tui group, to the Advertising Standards Authority. The operator could be forced to change its marketing if the complaint is upheld. A Tui spokesman said the firm “takes all customer feedback seriously”. The ASA said it was yet to examine the information.

Rory Boland, from Which?, said: “Hotels and booking sites should not be misleading holidaymakers … If your hotel is a far cry from what you were expecting you do have rights to be moved or to a refund, so don’t be afraid to use them.”

The Association of British Travel Agents, the trade body, said members must abide by its code of conduct which states that information given to travellers must be accurate.