Travellers to North Africa and the Middle East have been urged to heed government travel advice or face losing insurance cover.
Stuart Bensusan of Thomas Cook-owned EssentialTravel.co.uk said: “Consumers need to listen and adhere to the advice given by the Foreign Office as travel insurance does not cover anybody travelling to an area once it has been deemed unsafe.
“If passengers travel prior to the Foreign Office warnings, they will be covered for medical expenses and repatriation, hospital benefit and personal accident as normal.”
He was speaking as foreign secretary William Hague admitted Britons trying to escape the violent crisis in Libya were facing “significant difficulties”.
Many are stuck at Tripoli airport without immediate flights out of the country following flight cancellations, closures of airspace and difficulties securing permits from the appropriate authorities.
A chartered aircraft is due to travel to Libya in the next 48 hours on a rescue mission but is subject to landing clearances and permissions from the Libyan government.
British Airways and Bmi were among carriers forced to cancel flights to Libya yesterday as violence across the country escalated.
Royal Navy Frigate HMS Cumberland is being redeployed from the Eastern Mediterranean to international waters near Libya in case it is required to play a role in assisting British nationals.
“We are working closely with airlines to assist as many British nationals as possible to depart Libya,” he said. “In addition, I have decided to mobilise further resources in support of an assisted departure.”
Bensusan added: “Further to the widespread civil unrest across the Middle East and Northern Africa, protests have now spread to Morocco, including the popular city of Marrakech.
“Although we understand that there is less chance of a full scale uprising in the area, we would still advise passengers due to travel to keep abreast of this fast moving situation.
“We are advising all our customers to be vigilant when travelling to the Middle East and Africa. They should seek the help of their tour operator or airline where necessary.”