Foreign Office Relaxes Travel Advisory for Tunisia

The government lifted the vigilance advisory for British tourists visiting the north African country.

 

“Since the terrorist attack in Sousse in June 2015, which targeted tourists, the UK government has been working closely with the Tunisian authorities to investigate the attack and the wider threat from terrorist groups. The Tunisian government has improved protective security in major cities and tourist resorts,” the Foreign Office’s statement quotes.

Consequently, travel companies can now send holiday-makers to Tunisia again, after the Foreign Office relaxes its travel advisory for the country, as has previously released it in 2015 due to the Sousse incident resulting in 38 dead people, from which 30 were Britons. The travel warning was valid for two years.

Nevertheless, Tunisia, a popular summer destination, yet remains in a state of emergency after a suicide attack in November 2015.

Moreover, the Foreign Office stated that “terrorists are still very likely to try to carry out attacks in Tunisia” and advices visitors to remain vigilant, especially in crowded areas of the country, underlining that all non-essential travel should be avoided, while taking into account the fragile situation next to the Libyan and Algerian borders.

Foreign Office travel advice is important due to the validity it provides to travel insurance. So, tourists might risk their holiday if anything should happen during their stay in the affected areas. On the other hand, failing to highlight potential threat zones might result in tour operators getting severely sanctioned by travelers.

As a solution, it has been suggested that travel companies should include clear travel advisories in their advertising materials as well as visible links to the official travel information.

"This change in level of travel advice means that travel to Tunisia can now resume and travel companies can put in place plans for holidays to Tunisia to restart, should they wish to do so,” an ABTA representative commented, as he also declared that tour operators should take into account all Foreign Office advisories.

The travel warning lift comes after recently, travelers from Tunisia were not allowed to carry large phones, laptops and tablets inside the cabin, if heading to UK, along with passengers coming from Turkey, Lebanon, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Jordan.

 

Source: theguardian.com