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ABTA Convention dinner leaves stomachs delicate – 8 Dec 2006

In what is becoming something of a tradition, delegates who attended last week’s ABTA Travel Convention returned home with an unwelcome gastronomic gift.

Some who attended the gala farewell dinner and party on the Wednesday night have reported they were struck down by Thursday morning with dodgy stomachs and symptoms ranging from the colourful to the explosive.

While speculation as to what  was the cause of the problem is rife, Travel Weekly’s determination to sniff out the truth has seen the finger of suspicion pointed at either the prawns or pork served at the gala dinner.

Air Miles commercial manager John Drogan said: “I thought I’d eaten a dodgy kebab in Puerto Banus. I felt dreadful but it was only when I got back to the UK I discovered others had been affected.

“I woke up at 7am on Thursday and everything went downhill from there.”

Others believed to have been struck down by the mystery bug were in the Complete Cruise Solution party.

As Travel Weekly notes, the ABTA convention is establishing a reputation for tummy upsets. There was the notorious 2003 Cairo event after which a number of people were hospitalised and last year’s event in Marrakesh saw a large number of
delegates returning home clutching their stomachs.

With next year’s event lined up for Tenerife, can we suggest steering clear of the seafood?

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