Travel firms told to improve safety advice after Tunisia terror

THE coroner in the case of the British holidaymakers killed in the 2015 Tunisia terror attack has said travel companies should show government travel advice on their brochures.

Following the deaths of 30 British holidaymakers in the Sousse beach attack by a jihadist, the senior judge raised concerns that travel agents were still not doing enough to inform their customers about terror risks.

Operator TUI was criticised during the inquest, which took place earlier this year, for failing to give out enough information about the potential threat to tourists in the country in 2015, such as links to official government travel information and logos displaying advice for potential visitors.

In a report published yesterday, Judge Nicholas Loraine-smith said TUI had “taken steps to change their website and promotional literature to make these logos and links more prominent” since the attack.

But he added that he was “concerned that other companies that sell holidays, or flights and hotels separately, may not have taken such steps, as a result of which the public receive insufficient information about the risks of terrorist attacks in destination countries”.

He also said he had heard evidence that before the attack travel companies did not have security advisers on their boards, and that while TUI now has an adviser, he was “concerned that if other companies do not have similar advisers at board level then hotels that they use will not be adequately protected”.

In February, Judge Loraine-smith ruled that the 30 victims had been “unlawfully killed”. He mentioned TUI during his conclusion, finding that despite the company’s responsibility to inform the tourists of official travel advice, the only reference to it in their documentation was in relation to visas. A “crib sheet” used to help sales people answer questions on the security situation in the country did not mention terrorism or where to find Foreign Office travel advice.

However, he rejected a request by families to conclude that neglect by TUI or the owners of the Riu Imperial Marhaba Hotel, where the shootings took place, contributed to the deaths.

He wrote to the Transport and Foreign Secretaries, the Association of British Travel Agents and the Civil Aviation Authority with his concerns.

An ABTA spokesman said: “We have been working, and will continue to work to make sure that links to advice are visible on members’ websites and that customers are directed to advice before they book.”

A Foreign Office spokesman said: “We will study the coroner’s report and recommendations and consider what actions we should take in response.”