Just when you thought that it could not get any worse, we hear that within one hotel in Turkey, the staff have a unique way to announce faecal accidents within swimming pools!  We are told by holidaymakers that pools are closed on a daily basis, due to the fact that holidaymakers suffer an ‘accident’ whilst they are in the pool.  When the ‘accident’ is discovered, the ‘entertainment crew’ make an announcement over the tannoy of ‘Code Brown, Code Brown’ – the pool in question is then temporarily closed (there are varying reports as to how long the pool is usually closed and as to what kind of treatment of the water is provided) whilst the offending article is removed!  Read More

Those of us working within the Travel Industry (there are those who think that HolidayTravelWatch is not part of the Industry – oh well!) have since 2005, commented on the growth of the so-called DIY or Dynamically Packaged Holiday and the threat to Consumer Rights.  For our part, we have illustrated very clearly to the UK Government and the EU Commission the real detriment being suffered, not just by British Holidaymakers, but also by other EU Citizens!  For the last 2 years the EU Commission has been building up a body of information through consultations and surveys and it was expected that from this autumn through to the spring 2010, they would announce their proposals for a revised Package Travel Directive. Read More

Those who have been following the almost daily catalogue of comment on the internet, with regard to Holiday Village in Sarigerme and Holiday Complaints, may have noticed that we have now written two open letters to the Ambassador, His Excellency, Mr Mehmet Yigit Alpogan.  Those following that correspondence will note that upon publication of the second open letter, the matter was eventually forwarded to the ‘Go To Turkey’ Organisation.  However, those following that post will have noticed that the letters never reached the Ambassador and we were advised that ‘process’ must take place and that we should ‘bear’ with them as ‘the process does take a while’! Read More

Dear Mr Ambassador Read More

Imagine; the constant smell of sewage, building work, faecal element over the public toilets, the food served is never hot, margarine and butter floating in water, water was served from dispensers not sealed bottles, many guests suffering from diarrhoea and vomitting, when holidaymakers approached the tour operators representative, they were told they could not be assisted, as they had not paid for representative service (!), pharmacists providing injections, doctors offering to sell certificates stating that holidaymakers were ‘fit to fly’ – Welcome to Egypt! Read More

Dear Mr Ambassador Read More

The other day I was on a crowded beach when I heard the very plaintiff cry of “Mommy – where are you Mommy?”.  I looked up and saw a 3/4 year old girl walking between all of the holidaymakers lying on the beach.  It was quite clear that she was very upset and could not find her Mother amongst the crowds.  The beach consisted of British, French, Dutch, Irish and Spanish holidaymakers.  As the young girl approached my ‘pitch’, I noticed that not one holidaymaker got up to try and help her – they simply lay there soaking up the sun! Read More