Tui UK and Ireland managing director Nick Longman has apologised to the victims of the Sousse terror attack after a coroner recorded a verdict of unlawful killing.
Speaking outside the Royal Courts of Justice, Longman said Tui was “very sorry for the pain and loss of those affected have suffered” and the company would “reflect” on the coroner’s findings.
Concluding the six-week long inquests, Judge Nicholas Loraine-Smith condemned the “shambolic” and “cowardly” police response to the attack but rejected a request to rule neglect was a contributory factor in their deaths.
Rezgui opened fire on the beach in the resort of Sousse in June 2015, killing 38 people, including 30 Tui customers, in an attack that continued into the then Tui-run five-star Riu Imperial Marhaba hotel.
The families of the victims had argued that Tui’s “utter complacency in the face of the risk posed to its customers in Tunisia and its abrogation of responsibility for security was the very essence of neglect”.
Longman said: “We are very sorry for the pain and loss of those affected have suffered.
“Over these last few weeks we have heard very personal and moving accounts of what happened during and after the terrorist attack. We have played a full and active role throughout the inquests. And we like others want to understand the circumstances of these tragic events.
“We have now heard the coroner’s findings and his comments regarding the provision of security and visibility of travel advice. These are complex matters and we have already taken steps to raise awareness of the FCO’s travel aware campaign.
“Together with the travel industry in the light of these comments we must now take some time to further reflect on these areas.
“On that day the world changed. As an industry we have adapted and will continue to do so. This terrorist incident left its mark on all of us and its impact will always be remembered.”