Tunisia Latest: Government Warns Against All but Essential Travel

The Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) has updated its position on Tunisia and is now advising against all but essential travel to the north African state. Anyone currently in the country should contact their travel company in order to confirm arrangements to return home as quickly as possible.

This new advice from the FCO reflects what it calls a considerable development in intelligence and the "view that a further terrorist attack is highly likely".

Is my holiday cancelled?

Almost certainly. Thomson has released a statement, in which it said: "As a result of the change in FCO travel advice, Thomson and First Choice have cancelled all our outbound flights to Tunisia for the summer season which is up to and including the 31 October.

"Customers due to travel to Tunisia up to and including 31 October will be given the opportunity to change their holiday free of charge to any of our destinations currently on sale... If none of these options are suitable for you we will arrange a full refund."

Thomas Cook has also cancelled all holidays to Tunisia until 31 October. Their latest statement can be found here.

Will I get a refund for my holiday to Tunisia?

Yes. ABTA, the travel association, says, "If you’ve booked a package holiday your travel company must offer you an equivalent alternative holiday (if available) or a full refund of all money paid."

What if I booked independently?

If you have booked your flights separately, check to see whether your flight has been cancelled. If it has, your airline will be obliged to offer a refund. If you have booked accommodation separately, you will need to contact them directly, but they are not necessarily obliged to provide a refund.

For a full statement from ABTA, click here.

For the FCO statement, click here.