LEGAL expert Peter Stewart advised tour operators to put the address or contact number of the Foreign Office in brochures as a way of protecting themselves against writs.
He added that should the Foreign Officeadvice change to a travel ban or a warning against non-essential travel near departure, the operator should tell the customer.
“If you don’t tell customers, you are left with a situation where, if something happens, you will have to justify why you ignored the advice. If you cannot provide that, you are in severe difficulties,” said Stewart, from Field Fisher Waterhouse.
“I believe it should also be made a booking condition for customers to acquaint themselves with the advice.”
Stewart insisted the wording was a matter of common sense, not semantics. “If the Foreign Office said it was not advisable to travel and there was an incident, I don’t think an operator could argue that their advice should have said non-essential – common sense should come into play.”