Chief executive Mark Tanzer called the influx of gastric illness claims made through UK claims management companies a “serious concern” for the association’s members and “the industry as a whole”.
Abta said it had collected evidence which pointed towards a rise in the actions of claims management firms on the back of civil justice reforms passed in 2012.
In a statement, the association explained how the law changes, which were created to crack down on fraudulent personal injury claims, excluded overseas incidents meaning travel businesses were unable to benefit from the fixed-recoverable costs regime.
Abta added that from its research, “claims simply do not match up with recorded sickness levels in resort.”
Tanzer added: “It was clear from our meeting with the Ministry of Justice that they recognise that this is a real issue that merits further attention.
“We will continue to work proactively with the policymakers and regulators, sharing intelligence and data to support the industry’s case for change.”
Last month Abta revealed to TTG it believed many of the cases included in this glut of new claims contained “very little evidence” and were fuelled by “aggressive sales practices of some claims management companies”.
Richard Lightfoot, owner of OTA Lowcostsunshine.co.uk, described how his business had received “almost daily” correspondence from law firms for more than six months.
“We’re being told that they’re investigating us and how they are going to use everything within the power of the law to get money from us,” he told TTG. “It’s time-consuming responding to each claim; it feels like the issue is just going to grow and grow.
Martyn Dean, director of Gateshead-based JLM Travel, said he had recently been contacted by a family who had holidayed in Tunisia more than two years ago.
“The whole culture is disgusting,” said Dean. “They seem to target small businesses like mine because they’re trying to make a quick buck and think it won’t be challenged – it’s just ambulance chasing.”
