Abta has urged tourists booked to travel imminently to wait for government and operator advice as the coronavirus crisis widens.
The association said it is the best course of action amid the “extraordinary situation”, which is seeing companies struggle with a large influx of calls.
“Given the extraordinary volume of enquiries, and the rapidly changing situation, the best course of action for travellers with future bookings is to monitor and follow FCO advice for the destination they are travelling to, and wait for their travel provider to contact them if the situation changes in regards to their booking,” said Abta in a statement.
“Many travel companies are doing all they can to offer flexible booking policies at this time, such as giving customers the option to change their departure dates without charge, so we’d recommend talking to them about the options that are open to you.”
There are now about 150,000 confirmed cases of Covid-19 around the world.
See our operator, cruise and airline cancellation guide, here.