ABTA has launched a tool for travel industry businesses and members of the public to email their local MP, urging them to write to Justice Secretary, David Lidington, asking him to place holiday sickness claims under a fixed costs regime.
The travel association has said that action is desperately needed as fraudulent claims in the area are reaching a “critical point”.
It has said that unless swift action is taken then there will be serious consequences. It said that holiday prices could increase, and choice for honest holidaymakers could be reduced as hoteliers refuse to offer their products to the UK market.
By visiting www.stopsicknessscams.com, people will be able to raise the issue with their MP by emailing them directly from the site using a pre-prepared email template. There are two emails available, one for travel industry employees and business owners and one for members of the public. Travel companies are being asked to encourage their staff, suppliers, customers, friends and family to use the tool and to contact their MP.
The emails will ask individual MPs to write to Justice Secretary, David Lidington MP, urging him to introduce a fixed costs regime and so closing a “claims loophole” that ABTA says encourages claims management companies (CMCs) to target the travel industry. ABTA says that this approach should be implemented quickly and would begin to reduce the problem of spurious or exaggerated sickness claims immediately.
ABTA and its members have been working with Ministry of Justice off