Operators have to find a balance between providing accurate information about a destination and destroying a market by frightening people away, according to Airtours company solicitor Andrew Cooper.
“Hurricanes are inconsistent, they usually hit in September, but do we tell passengers not to travel then? That would have a massive financial impact on us and the resort. And what happens if it then hits in October?” he said.
Cooper said a key difficulty was keeping clients aware of problems in a destination because situations change fast.
He added: “The last contact we have with our clients is four weeks before they travel when we send the tickets.
“Some responsibility has to fall on travellers to make sure they know where to get advice, and on agents, to keep their clients informed.”
Cooper said the growth in activity holidays has also caused problems for operators as clients could decide in resort to do something that is not covered under a standard policy.
He added: “The industry has to get slicker in terms of the travel policies it sells.
“We need to get to the stage where customers can buy top-up insurance in resort from our reps or by phoning the UK if they decide they want to go ballooning, for example.”