5 2


Hotels report fall in illness claims


Lee Hayhurst lee.hayhurst@travelweekly.co.uk


Sickness claims made against overseas hotels could have peaked, according to analysis by a Spanish hospitality consultancy.


Preverisk found a significant fall


in claims made in 2017 from data collated from 22 hotels in Spain, Egypt and Turkey. The findings come as Red


Sea Holidays became the latest operator to fight and win a claim after a judge branded claimants against the operator “fundamentally dishonest”. Claims management companies were last year blamed for a 500%


rise in sickness claims since 2013. Travel Weekly’s launch last June


of its Fight Fake Claims campaign, followed by Abta’s Stop Sickness Scams campaign, demanded new laws to tackle claims ‘farmers’. Preverisk found 111 claims were


lodged with the 22 hotels last year by guests who travelled in 2017, fewer than half the number in 2016. Historic complaints lodged up to three years after travel means 2017


numbers will end up being higher, Preverisk pointed out. Claims received in 2016 for stays


between 2013 and 2016 stood at 416. Last year that figure was 396. Alan Wardle, Abta director


of public affairs, said it was still too early to say the industry has turned a corner. But he added: “We believe


Abta’s campaign, together with high-profile prosecutions, will have deterred some people from making a false claim. “However, action from


government to cap the costs of legal fees and ban cold calling by claims management companies is needed to solve the problem.” Red Sea Holidays faced a £4,000


claim from Jessica Hegner and Karl Hancock of Crawley, who travelled to Sharm el-Sheikh in 2013. However, district judge Parker


awarded the operator £12,600 in costs at Croydon County Court last Thursday. Red Sea Holidays executive


director Peter Kearns said: “It’s been open season on operators for too long. That has to stop. “We will contest any claim we believe is without foundation.”


First Choice ad is ‘mahoosive’ flop


Lee Hayhurst lee.hayhurst@travelweekly.co.uk


First Choice’s invitation to ‘Go Mahoosive with the All Inclusive’ in its rap-themed peaks TV ad was a big turn-off for viewers, according to exclusive consumer research for Travel Weekly.


Sentiment analysis firm SoundOut tested consumer opinion of 11 of 2018’s biggest turn-of-year travel campaigns – and this week we can reveal the results. Top of the pops was the ad from


Great Rail Journeys, for which Ab Fab actress Joanna Lumley


provided the voiceover, but top of the flops was First Choice. David Courtier-Dutton, SoundOut chief executive, said: “Overall, it was the more relaxing adverts that performed best – those rooted in reality that depicted wonderful holidays. “First Choice trailed all the


others by some margin and was one of the least-liked commercials we have ever tested.” SoundOut analysed reviews


from a representative panel of 600 UK adults aged 16-44 who


watched the adverts in February. It said an aggregate score of


70% was the minimum advertisers should strive for, a figure only five of the 11 adverts achieved. First Choice scored 53% and, unusually, saw consumer engagement fall as the ad was viewed. A First Choice spokeswoman


said: “We’re disappointed some people didn’t like our advert, contrary to the positive response we had from consumers in extensive testing before launch. “Working with world-renowned


film director Emil Nava, we had the chance to highlight some of our key all-inclusive benefits in a fun, entertaining and memorable way.” By contrast, Great Rail Journeys


was delighted with its top-rated 76% score. Group marketing and sales director Alex Roberts said: “We put the customer at the centre of everything we do. “This includes ensuring that our


advertising speaks directly to our customers in a relevant way. “We’re proud of the high-quality


product we offer and we aim to produce advertising creative that


reflects this.” › Special Report, page 16


29 March 2018 travelweekly.co.uk 5 3


First Choice’s ad is ‘one of the least-liked we’ve ever tested’, says research firm


STORIES HOT


CLAIMS FIGHT


PICTURE: SHUTTERSTOCK


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72