Travel Updates

Legionnaires' Disease 

Statement from ABTA

There has been an outbreak of Legionnaires' Disease in the Diamante Beach Hotel in Calpe, Costa Blanca, Spain. Sadly, two British holidaymakers are confirmed to have died from the outbreak and an investigation is taking place into the death of a third person. According to ELDSNet (The European Legionnaire’s Disease Surveillance Network), some British and Spanish holidaymakers as well as hotel staff have contracted the Disease. The Spanish health authorities have carried out investigations at the hotel and have stated that the water system is considered to be the most likely source of the infection. The hotel has now closed while a control operation is carried out.

Any travellers returning from the hotel should be aware of the symptoms of the disease, which are similar to flu, including cough, fever and difficulty breathing.  If the symptoms are experienced they should immediately contact their GP.  Anyone imminently due to travel to the hotel is advised to contact their travel agent or tour operator.

Legionnaires' Disease is a rare cause of pneumonia that is caught by breathing in small droplets of water contaminated by bacterium. It is not contagious so cannot be spread from person to person. It can cause a serious pneumonia particularly in vulnerable people, such as older people or people with pre-existing health conditions, but generally, people with the illness respond well to antibiotics. The illness has an incubation period of two to 10 days. More information about Legionnaires' Disease can be found here.

Costa Concordia

Statement from ABTA
Our thoughts are with the families of those who lost their lives in the tragic incident on the Costa Concordia. A full investigation is now underway to determine the cause of the accident. Within the cruise industry, there are stringent maritime safety regulations in place governing both the build and operation of the ships and the safety procedures for passengers and crew. Cruising has seen a huge growth in popularity among British holidaymakers in recent years and incidents of this nature are extremely rare. It is estimated that 1.73 million cruise holidays will be taken by British passengers in 2012.

The Costa Concordia cruise ship hit a sandbar on Friday evening near the island of Giglio, Italy. Anyone concerned about British passengers should contact either the British Embassy in Rome on (+39) 06 4220 0001 or the Foreign Office in London on 020 7008 1500.

Further information for ABTA Members
FCO travel advice for Italy

Travel disruption

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Air Safety

List of airlines banned within the EU

Unsolicited emails 

We've been alerted to a number of emails that offer work visas/permits for people travelling to the UK to find employment. The emails suggest they are connected with ABTA but we can confirm that ABTA provides no such services and suspect these emails are aimed at obtaining money from unsuspecting jobseekers wishing to find work in the UK. We'd advise anyone who has paid money and not received what they were expecting to contact their local police.

Useful Information

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Other information
 
ABTA Members that are currently surcharging
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