TRAVEL NORTHERN IRELAND ISSUE 261 | JUNE 2014 NEWS
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BEWARE OF ONLINE SCAMS AND HEED TRAVEL ADVICE!
Double warnings issued to travellers from ABTA and CAA
HE UK's top travel industry regulators have issued a double warning to UK travellers - beware of an upsurge in holiday scams when booking online: and follow to the letter travel advice by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO). This follows an increasing number of top tourist destinations worldwide coming under FCO restrictions because of the threat of terrorism or political upheaval. Countries affected at the moment include South East Asia's leading tourist destination Thailand, Kenya, Nigeria and Egypt, with a number of other less popular tourism destinations worldwide.
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ABTA is warning travellers not to ignore Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) safety advice. Travellers should follow to the letter advice issued by the FCO - failure to do so could render your travel insurance invalid.
At the same time, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is urging would-be online bookers "to check, and double check" that bookings are ATOL protected.
The warning was issued during National Scam Awareness Month following a steady stream of duped holidaymakers contacting the CAA and many more getting in touch with Trading Standards and police in different regions of the UK.
Meanwhile, ABTA advises that where there is any doubt about a destination's safety, prospective travellers should check with the FCO via its website and their insurer before travelling as ignoring official advice could invalidate your insurance. ABTA stresses however that the FCO has to advise against “all travel” to your particular destination for your travel insurance to be invalid.
A spokesperson for ABTA said: “The Foreign Office must advise against travel to a destination for travel insurance to become invalidated. Simply recommending that people remain vigilant would not have this effect.”
ABTA also recommends before travelling to Thailand you check with your insurance provider
that they will continue to cover for claims arising from the current situation. Some travel insurance policies exclude cover during a coup d’etat and your insurance may be invalid. Britons who are in Thailand or thinking of travelling to the country have been advised to keep monitoring the Foreign Office's travel guidance for the region.
Hundreds of UK tourists already there are currently having to adhere to a strict night-time curfew after the bloodless coup in the country. Foreign Secretary William Hague says the government is closely monitoring the situation while tour operators are also keeping a close eye on events as tens of thousands of tourists across the country are being ordered to stay inside from 10pm until 5am daily until further notice.
Meanwhile, the CAA said that the phoney scam travel sites look UK-based “but are typically operated from abroad”.
CAA Consumer Protection Group Director Richard Jackson said: “We are aware of a number of bogus websites advertising unusually cheap deals, operated from abroad and falsely claiming to have ATOL protection. It is important customers look beyond the price and check and double check the travel company has protection. Once you have confirmed this and paid, make sure you get an ATOL Certificate.”
The CAA quoted figures recently released by the Association of Chief Police Officers suggesting UK consumers were defrauded of £3.7 million in online ticket scams, including flight tickets, last year. Consumers are advised to check the ATOL Protected logo is legitimate by noting whether it has the required reference number and checking that it belongs to a registered company on the CAA website.
The CAA suggests signs of a bogus site include “unusually cheap flights”, “poor contact details” and “no online payment facility”. It points out a web address ending in
co.uk is no proof a company is based in the UK.
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NEW SPONSOR: Tyrphavana Cross from Celebrity Cruises, a new category sponsor for the Northern Ireland Travel and Tourism Awards in the Slieve Donard Resort and Spa on October 17, pictured with Jonathan Adair of the Awards organisers, Northern Ireland Travel News. For more information on all the Awards, and how to vote and possibly win a prize, see inside
Virgin Holidays for Belfast city centre
THE first Virgin Holidays’ shops in the Province will be opening in the next few weeks. The flagship store will be in Debenhams, in Castle Court in central Belfast but it is understood a number of other Virgin Holidays outlets will be opening in the coming weeks as well.
Virgin, which specialises in worldwide package holidays including Cruises, Tours, Safaris and Fly- Drives, is also opening a store in the huge Tesco
store at Knocknagoney, just off Belfast's Holywood Road.
Belfast International Airport are also reported to have had discussions with Virgin Holidays about charter flights from Belfast. This would tie in with the new Virgin stores being opened in the Province. Leesa Campbell, formerly of Thomas Cook, has been appointed manager of the new Virgin Holidays store in Belfast city centre.
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