A reason to avoid the buffet on your all-inclusive holiday
- A survey suggests you should avoid queuing up for reheated food on holiday
- Two thirds suspect their sickness was attributable to the hotel they stayed in
- Holiday sickness compensation firms warn most claims come from buffets
Stephen Matthews For Mailonline
54
View
comments
It may seem appealing, piling as much food onto your plate from the buffet as you can while on an all-inclusive holiday.
But a new survey of British holidaymakers suggests you should avoid queuing up for exotic dishes that have been reheated.
One in six people who’ve been on an all-inclusive holiday in the last three years have fallen ill, the poll revealed.
And two thirds – 77 per cent – suspect their sickness was directly attributable to the hotel they were staying in.
Holiday sickness compensation firms say most claims come from lavish resorts where food is left out for long periods of time on buffets, and then reheated.
One in six people who’ve been on an all-inclusive holiday in the last three years have fallen ill
The survey of 1,000 British holidays, commissioned by Sick Holiday, comes amid campaigns to halt ‘fraudulent’ claims for compensation.
The Association of British Travel Agents reported earlier this year that claims for holiday sickness compensation had risen six-fold since 2013.
This is despite sickness reports in resorts remaining stable and travellers from other countries not experiencing the same issues.
But the new survey suggests that more of the holiday illness claims are genuine than given credit for.
-
Mother-of-two, 41, given just 9 months to live after she was…
The eating plan, backed by science, that WILL boost brain…
The satisfying moment a man is finally able to hear again…
Breast screening falls to the lowest level in a DECADE,…
Richard Conroy, founder of Sick Holiday, said: ‘Certain resorts, due to a lack of hygiene, are making scores of people unwell every year.
‘These new stats shed new light on that fact. It’s the same hotels, year after year, who crop up in our files.
‘There’s a lack of responsibility from British tour companies, who are failing to address the real problem.
‘They appear to show no compassion for their clients, and they are making people severely ill.’
Mr Conroy added: ‘Many of our claims come from all-inclusive resorts where food is left out for long periods of time on buffets, and then reheated.
‘Lukewarm food is a prime growing temperature for food poisoning. If it’s supposed to be cold, it should feel like a glass of water from the fridge.
‘If it’s supposed to be hot, it should feel hot enough for you not to want to leave your finger in it.
‘If your dish is neither of those two things – it’s a lovely lukewarm place where your finger feels “just right” – then you could end up with Salmonella or Campylobacter poisoning.’
The survey revealed 16 per cent of the respondents experienced sickness while abroad.
Of those, a third said they had been ‘unwell’ for at least two weeks.
Europe was highlighted as the number one destination for those falling poorly, with 57 per cent having been struck down on holiday there.
And 77 per cent of those struck down believe their illness was caught in the hotel, with food or drink taking the brunt of the blame.
Just 6 per cent thought their illness stemmed from ‘something they had eaten or drunk outside of the hotel’, the poll showed.
Mr Conroy added: ‘There’s a crass lack of responsibility from British tour companies.
‘Take a look at resorts like Dubai – there has never been severe food poisoning there, purely because they have very high standards of hygiene.
‘If this industry was entirely fraudulent, we’d see lots of cases coming from places like Dubai, a destination popular with British tourists but we don’t as it is simply not happening.
‘And the only reason there has been growth in this sector at all is because there’s greater awareness that holidaymakers can claim when they’ve been made poorly.
‘The reality is gross negligence, putting people into hotels which are serving unhygienic food unfit for human consumption.’
Share or comment on this article
- ‘You’re fired :)’ How using emojis at work can take the…
- Primary school is forced to tell parents to stop smoking…
- Suspect who ‘swallowed’ stash of class A drugs spends 16…
- Fury as BBC temporarily drops Anita Anand from presenting…
- Church bells face being silenced at night after 239 years…
- Cold calling claims firm which ‘bombarded Britons with…
- Police are recruiting unpaid volunteers to drive officers…
- Security risk to the Queen and her family as detailed…
- Revealed: The modest £100k holiday homes in Spain and…
- Archaeologists may have discovered spot where Stonehenge…
- Five more black cab rapist ‘victims’ come forward: Police…
- Murder probe launched after body of 20-year-old man is…
- Dash-cam Stasi: Police chief who sparked speed limit…
- Rachel Johnson: It’s painful, I know… but sport NEEDS…
- Tory MP Jacob Rees-Mogg repeats claim that the Treasury…
- Doctor Foster actress Sara Stewart reveals family friend…
- Heartbroken wife of suicide soldier who fought alongside…
- Three money launderers who used their proceeds to fund…
Comments 54
Share what you think
-
Newest -
Oldest -
Best rated -
Worst rated
The comments below have not been moderated.
The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline.
We are no longer accepting comments on this article.