Matt Gatenby, senior partner and head of litigation at Travlaw, told delegates during Abta’s Travel Law seminar on Tuesday (10 May) claims were bound to surge as more people travelled to resorts.

"Hygiene policies will be the same or worse in hotels overseas after the changeover of staff during the pandemic," he said. "The more people go to resorts, the more illness claims will arise."

Gatenby also urged operators to stay on top of claims, and ensure they are aware of their responsibilities around customer excursions. 

"Before the pandemic, we were good at dealing with excursions, so make sure you don’t fall into the easy trap of selling the easy trips that come with more risk," he said. "The one time it goes wrong will ruin the revenue made on all the times it went right.

"These excursions are an attractive thing to sell in resort. It’s always a good idea to be clear about extra purchases made outside of an original package. You have to make it clear what is covered and what is under your name."

He advised companies to "make it obvious" if a customer’s excursion is an extra payment made outside of the original booking. "It’s about clarity of documentation and evidence," he said.

Gatenby also warned of a rise in fraud targeted at larger travel organisations because of their global operations.

"Fraud can take so many forms," he added. "We’ve seen, what I think, is an increase in fraud targeted at travel companies, because you’re big, you’re out there, you take a lot of money. These things are on the rise. Be aware of it, because it is high and it is happening."