Foreign Office bans holidays to Thailand

The Foreign Office (FCO) is warning holidaymakers not to travel to Thailand after violence that started in the capital Bangkok more than a month ago spread to other parts of the country, including popular tourist resorts like Pattaya, Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai.

Holidaymakers who have already booked trips departing within the next few days should be offered alternative holidays or full refunds by their tour operators following the FCO's warning against all but essential travel to Thailand.

Those who have booked flights to Thailand should contact their airlines to see if they are able to defer their trips, cancel with a refund, or switch to alternative destinations.

Holidaymakers who decide to postpone travel to Thailand should be able to defer their travel insurance; they are best advised to contact their travel insurance company as soon as possible.

The travel association ABTA is warning holidaymakers that if they do travel to Thailand against the FCO advice they may not be covered by their travel insurance if things go wrong.

Although the FCO has been warning holidaymakers for several weeks to take care when visiting Bangkok due political demonstrations taking place in the capital, this is the first time it has applied a travel ban to the whole country.

It said on Wednesday: We advise against all but essential travel to the whole of Thailand due to the increasingly volatile and tense political situation.

"Violent incidents of an unpredictable nature are occurring in many parts of Thailand."

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