THE news that a terrorist bomb could be to blame for the crash of a Russian airliner returning from Sharm-el-Sheikh, while upsetting is not altogether shocking.
Terror groups probe for 'soft' targets and as security has grown ever tighter in some countries, their attention is drawn elsewhere. Six months ago it was to Sousse in Tunisia, now to Egypt’s Red Sea resort.
The UK government still does not believe there is "adequate protection for British tourists in Tunisia" nearly six months after the terror attacks there.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has four ratings to show the perceived threat of a terrorist attack: high, general, underlying and low.
Those countries at high level include many in the Middle East such as Iraq, Syria and Yemen. No surprises there. Parts of Russia, Ukraine are off-limits, but Turkey also has areas which the Foreign Office believes to be dangerous. Countries that are deemed ‘low’ include Japan, Poland and Switzerland.
The FCO say that travel companies and airlines often take their advice into account but the decision to cancel or reschedule a flight, holiday, tour or excursion is a decision that can only be taken by the travel company and the customer.
The question of refunds is a matter for the customer and the airline, tour operator or travel agent.
As favourite destinations like Egypt, Tunisia and Turkey come under scrutiny, more and more Britons may choose not to go there. I hope they still do, because there is far, far more to be gained by defying these threats.
Egypt has bounced back from previous attacks when tourists at the pyramids were targeted. Will they return when the dust settles on this latest outrage?
The decision whether to go is ultimately yours. So are you revising your plans in the wake of this year's events?
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