Is your holiday as safe as you think?
As the potential for a swine flu pandemic continues to grow day by day many people are blissfully unaware that their summer holidays could be cancelled or cut short. The World Health Organisation (WHO) recently increased the risk level from 4 to 5 with 6 being the highest, signalling the outbreak of a pandemic. While the UK government has declared that travel to places such as Mexico should only be carried out where necessary they have not issued a blanket ban on the grounds of safety.
A number of holidaymakers looking to places such as Mexico have experienced difficulties with their holiday companies when looking to cancel their arrangements. While the situation is becoming a little clearer, and a little more friendly towards consumers, ultimately the travel companies are not obliged to reimburse you for a cancellation unless the authorities issue a blanket ban on travel to a specific area.
The situation may become clearer if the UK government, as expected, eventually bans travel to Mexico and other high risk areas of the world. In this situation, the likelihood of being reimbursed the cost of your holiday would rise significantly although there could be increased pressure on the holiday industry compensation fund. Again, check the fine print and check what your rights are now and potentially in the future if travel bans are introduced.
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