Comment: Government joins the fight

When we launched our Fight Fake Claims campaign last month demanding action to combat fraudulent gastric illness compensation claims, we had a reasonable expectation of success.

But with the general election looming and plenty of other issues due to be keeping our politicians busy, we were prepared for a drawn-out battle.

However, the announcement this week that the government will limit the costs law firms can claim – one of our key demands – is already a massive step forward.

Of course, more needs to be done to stamp out the scourge of fraudulent and exaggerated claims that is blighting our industry. But a crackdown by authorities both here and abroad, allied with a new determination by travel firms to challenge suspicious claims, is bearing fruit.

Credit to Thomas Cook after it successfully defended a case in which the judge branded the claimants “fundamentally dishonest”.

Publicity like this will surely help to reduce the number of claims this summer.

Travel Weekly will continue to keep the issue on the agenda, so if you haven’t done so already, do sign up to support our Fight Fake Claims campaign.

As I write this I’m preparing for Travel Weekly’s brilliant Agent Achievement Awards, the trade’s biggest annual celebration of the best our sector has to offer.

The AAAs is always a great night and we love playing host to the nearly 1,000 people who attend the black-tie event in London.

Check out the full list of winners and pictures on our website.