Industry talks to FCO over terror warnings

Sunday, 28 Apr, 2004 0

Industry leaders will hold talks with the Foreign Office today over government plans to change the way it warns the public against terrorist threats.

Representatives from ABTA, the Federation of Tour Operators and the Association of Independent Tour Operators will meet officials following an exhaustive review of the travel advice policy.

While ABTA and the FTO are said to be happy with the proposed changes – unveiled by foreign secretary Jack Straw earlier this month – AITO will raise concerns over what it claims are yet more “grey areas”.

The review aims to issue warnings against non-essential travel, which covers tourism, only when there is a “severe and imminent” terrorist threat. Currently the advice is considered too arbitrary with blanket bans dragging on for months and devastating tourist industries such as in Bali and Kenya.

When there is general threat, the FCO will inform the public but leave them to make their own judgement on whether to travel.

AITO, which has consistently called for change claiming the advice has been “unnecessarily severe”, said the proposals could create ambiguity. “When there is a general warning, operators, insurers, airlines and the public will put their own interpretation on it,” said AITO council member Mike Sykes.

“Some insurance will say they will cover customers in the event of an incident, others say they won’t. We have spoken to our legal people and insurers and they say our fears are justified.”

Another AITO council member, Derek Moore, said the Foreign Office was regarded as the “independent referee” which the industry and public adhered to. “When there is a general warning and a customer decides he doesn’t want to travel, what does the tour operator do?” said Moore. “Take the hard-nosed approach and say hard luck or give them their money back? It is a grey area.”

ABTA welcomed the change in policy and is not expected to raise objections. The FTO is also said to be comfortable with the proposals. An ABTA spokesman said: “It’s common sense and will get the advice back to how it was before Bali and September 11. We feel the FCO has over-reacted to the threat of terrorism since then.”