As we go through this holiday season, I never fail to be amazed by the tenacity of the travel industry’s abililty to explain away its problems.  Equally, I never fail to admire and respect the holidaymakers, who, exposed to appalling hygiene conditions and suffering with holiday illness, will always seek to try and make the best of their holiday, or sometimes accept blindly the reasons and rationale given to them as to why they may become ill!  This ladies and gentlemen is partly how holiday claims are managed in 2010!  Plausible deniability is the key strategy, providing ‘aerosol’ phrases to mask the real problems and difficulties, instead of making sure that holiday properties are fit for purpose!  Holidaymakers are often told that they WILL become ill with: ‘Pharoahs Revenge’, ‘Montezumas Revenge’, ‘The Turkey Trots’, ‘Norovirus’, ‘Winter Vomitting Disease’, ‘A Virus on the Island’, ‘A Virus brought in by holidaymakers’ – and – our favourite for the 2010 holiday season so far, where following illness suffered by a child in Turkey, the parents were told that it was as a result of an ‘Epidemic in Turkey that affects those under 2 years of age’!  We wrote an article recently on other ‘excuses’ provided to holidaymakers which is worth considering! Read More

Since 2008 we have expressed serious concerns over the health and safety standards operated in the popular holiday resorts in Egypt.  We began by asking if Egypt was the ‘new’ Dominican Republic for Holiday Illness and Complaints?  In that article we suggested that it would be well for the Egyptian tourist authorities to learn from the Dominican Republic experience; it appears that they did not!  Less than 2 weeks later, we again expressed concern over the range of holiday complaints and problems reported to us; apart from illness complaints we were also hearing  how complaining holidaymakers were being ‘bullied’ out of making complaints!  We again called on the Egyptian Authorities to act; it appears that they did not!  In July 2009, we again called for the Egyptian Authorities to act upon the growing number of complaints and illnesses reported to us; again, it appears that they did not!  We again express our concerns! Read More

Last year we highlighted 20 of the most appalling holiday complaints for the 2009 holiday season!  This year we again repeat the process at the start of the current 2010 holiday season, to highlight the wide range of problems that holidaymakers face!  This year we have seen the following holiday complaints come through on our e mails alone; building work, exposure to building dust causing respiratory problems, numerous so-called norovirus complaints, missing hotel facilities, slipping on wet unsignposted hotel floors, incorrect visa information supplied by travel agents, repeat hotel illnesses, poor and inedible hotel food, E-Coli, inadequate travel insurance cover, failure to provide significant change rights, DIY holiday complaints, poor beach conditions, leaking sewage, holiday price changes, unsafe ship conditions, cockroaches and dust in holiday accommodation, poor information on luggage allowances, denial by tour companies of mass outbreaks of illness, unannounced flight departure changes, illnesses following room pesticide use, insistence on tour companies in sending holidaymakers to destinations following adverse weather events, hotel not open on arrival, misrepresentation of hotel accommodation in holiday brochures, failure of all-inclusive facilities, booking problems, problems with terms and conditions, airline collapse financial complaints, grey bed linen, cracked bathroom tiles, leaking ceilings, no hot water in hotel rooms, no holiday bookings made, overbooking, false teeth and corn plasters found under bed, mass holiday hotel illness, vomitting and blood passing following hotel illness, Salmonella, Hot air balloon excursion accident, Volcano/Ash Travel Crisis complaints and Shigella!  Here is a selection of 20 appalling holiday complaints and problems (we have ommitted the names of tour companies etc and left the complaints made in the holidaymakers own words): Read More

The holiday illness wagon rolls on down there in Egypt and most importantly, tour operator representatives still insist that they hand out medical advices!  It appears that on one Nile Cruise, a large number of holidaymakers were ill, but hang on a second, why are they complaining, they were told that this would happen to them?  It appears that at the welcome party, holidaymakers were handed a letter from the tour representative stating that they would get the ‘Pharoahs Revenge’!  Well it seems that these holidaymakers certainly got more than what they bargained for – and there is the clue – a bargain – one of the key features of when you form or create a contract!  I have no doubt that this reference to ‘Pharoahs Revenge’ was not set out in any of the holiday brochures, nor in the terms and conditions!  Could this be the reason why this particular tour operator’s solicitors are keen to gain possession of the ‘evidence’? Read More

The other day we heard of an outrageous reaction to holidaymakers who reported to their rep that they were ill (there were others apparently ill at the resort).  The reaction from the rep?  The holidaymakers were ordered to leave the resort! Read More

As part of the range of holiday complaints on illnesses received by HolidayTravelWatch, holidaymakers often report confirmed Shigella diagnosis.  The features of Shigella consist of:  Read More