Fake food poisoning claims by UK holidaymakers are making Britain a laughing stock, says Thomas Cook boss
The huge rise in Brits making the false claims are also pushing up the cost of holidays for everyone on the continent
Holiday provider Thomas Cook has lashed out saying that fake holiday sickness claims are making Britain a laughing stock abroad.
The huge rise in Brits making the false claims are also pushing up the cost of holidays for everyone on the continent as hotels seek to recoup their losses.
Thomas Cook boss Peter Fankhauser made reference to the claims at a recent UK travel conference, when he told industry members that no German holidaymakers had made similar complaints when staying at hotels with Brits.
He joked: “The Germans don’t have this problem with their stomachs,” adding "it's an embarrassing issue for the industry and the United Kingdom."
According to , the Swiss chief executive warned that British tourists are increasing the costs of holidays for everyone thanks to a huge increase in false stomach bug claims.
He added: “Making a fraudulent claim is a criminal offence and there need to be consequences.”
The sharp rise in claims has been so damaging to tour operators that British holidaymakers face being banned from all-inclusive resorts, according to the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA).
Over the past four years a string of food poisoning claims firms have sprung up in popular holiday destinations.
These claims sharks encourage British tourists to sue hotels for bogus bouts of food poisoning.
There has also been a surge in cold calling by solicitors who encourage travellers to sue weeks or months after a holiday.
Since 2013, the number of claims has shot up by a massive 500 per cent, with an average claim for around £2,000.
The problem is costing the travel industry so much money that ABTA has launched a Stop Sickness Scams campaign, calling on the government to crack down and warning tourists about the consequences of making false or exaggerated claims.
One tourist who tried to get compensation for holiday food poisoning said the all-inclusive meals had left him left him bedridden, but he was rumbled by Facebook snaps of him eating steaks and knocking back beers.
Bodybuilder Leon Roberts, 38, claimed he was so unwell two days into his trip to Turkey that he was confined to his room for the next 19 days.
Lawyers filed a claim against the Turkish hotel and the tour operator Thomson, with payouts in similar cases averaging around £3,000.
But investigators found 79 pictures in a photo album uploaded to Facebook days after his return from the trip that showed him lounging by the pool, posing with pints of lager, and eating steak dinners, sushi and ice cream.
