The Government have announced plans to clamp down on bogus holiday sickness claims.

These apparently follow concerns from tour operators that the number of suspected false insurance claims for illnesses like food poisoning that are being brought by British holidaymakers having increased significantly.  It is believed that this is partly being fuelled by touts operating in European resorts.

The Government go on to say that advice from the travel industry states that the increase in claims in this country are as high as 500% since 2013.  The travel industry go on to say that this is not seen in other European countries, which has raised suspicions over the scale of those claims and damage our reputation overseas.

The tour industry states that the costs for dealing with these claims are increasing which in turn is raising fears of higher package holiday prices for the majority of law abiding holiday makers as the costs for this type of work are not fixed.

The Government have said that they want to reduce cash incentives to bring spurious claims against package holiday tour operators. Under their proposals, tour operators would pay a prescribed sum depending on the value of the claim, making the cost of defending a claim predictable.

The Government agree that the vast majority of holiday makers will not make false claims and those with genuine claims will still be able to claim damages.  They say that the proposed changes will crack down on those who do make bogus claims and help stop the price of package holidays soaring for the honest majority.

If you have suffered an injury or an illness whilst on a package holiday abroad, within the last 3 years, please contact Maxwell Hodge Solicitors.