Will your resort be safe this year? The threat of ISIS attack hangs over holidaymakers

Headlines from the British Press scream as follows:

Holiday companies cancel trips to Tunisia after foreign tourists killed

Raises possibility terrorists spread to other countries popular with tourists

Brits questioning which destinations are infected by barbaric Islamic State

Travel watchdog ABTA advises consulting Foreign Office before travelling

As holiday companies cancel trips to Tunisia’s capital following the massacre of foreign tourists in Tunisia, the threat Islamic State could pose to British holidaymakers has been brought sharply into focus. 

With the summer holidays now in full flow, many British people must now question whether once apparently safe destinations in the Middle East and North Africa have been infected by the barbaric Islamic State ideology.

A spokeswoman for travel watchdog ABTA said that while British tourists tend to be quite resilient and have a ‘level-headed’ view of terrorist threats, holidaymakers should consult the Foreign Office before travelling. But how safe are traditional destinations for British travellers?

Tunisia

The shootings in Tunisia, which has a fledgling democracy, could severely damage the country’s tourism trade. Its holiday industry had made an impressive recovery since the Arab Spring in 2011. That year, 408,000 British nationals visited, rising to about 420,000 last year.

After the first attack, the Foreign Office issued advice not to go to the area surrounding the museum ‘until further notice’. While 6,500 UK tourists in Tunisia were mainly in the coastal resorts (where security was higher, so it was reported), holiday operators such as Thomson and First Choice had stopped day excursions to the capital. However the second attack at the coastal resort completely undermined the whole security premise and the FCO has now advised against all travel to Tunisia.

The latest advice for travel to Tunisia is as follows:  The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) advise against all travel to:

• the Chaambi Mountain National Park area
• the Tunisia-Algeria border crossing points at Ghardimaou, Hazoua and Sakiet Sidi Youssef
• the militarized zone south of, but not including, the towns of El Borma and Dhehiba
• within 5km of the Libya border area from north of Dhehiba up to but not including the Ras Ajdir border crossing

The FCO advise against all but essential travel to the rest of Tunisia.

If you choose to travel to or remain in Tunisia then you should check that your insurance policy provides adequate cover. You should be especially vigilant and follow the advice of the Tunisian security authorities.

What to do if you are booked

Holidaymakers who have booked to go to Tunisia will likely be feeling nervous, but experts advise checking your travel insurance small print before changing or cancelling you booking. Most tour operators take their advice from the Government’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

It offers travel guidance for all countries, and flags up when areas are too dangerous. Green means all is fine amber means all but essential travel should be avoided, and red means you shouldn’t travel there under any circumstances.

Turkey

The Foreign Office classifies the threat of terrorism as ‘high’ across all of Turkey, advising against all travel to borders with Syria. More than two-and-half million British holidaymakers fly to Turkey each year. While most visit Mediterranean resorts, many head for Istanbul, its cultural and historical heart.

In recent months it has emerged that British youngsters infatuated with Islamic State have flown there and travelled south to slip into war-torn Syria. While most popular resorts are hundreds of miles from the Syrian border, there are still active terrorist groups in the whole country, some inspired by IS.

The Foreign Office classifies the threat of terrorism as ‘high’ across all of Turkey (the same as in France following the Charlie Hebdo shootings), advising against all travel to borders with Syria. Last year, a car bomb at a petrol station near a border-crossing killed dozens of people.

In January, a banned Marxist group used a suicide bomber to kill a policeman in Istanbul’s Sultanahmet, near the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia museum, the city’s most famous attractions.

Egypt

Resorts such as Sharm el Sheikh on the Red Sea have made Egypt a top winter sun destination for British families. At one point 9,000 UK visitors were at that resort on any single day during peak season. But the country has been rocked by political turmoil since the overthrow of Hosni Mubarak in 2011.

After the country descended into military rule after the overthrow of the Muslim Brotherhood, the number of tourists visiting dropped by 25 per cent. Political demonstrations, sometimes leading to violence, are commonplace. Egyptian soldiers now stand guard in Cairo's Tahrir Square, alongside police.

The Foreign Office says that terrorist attacks continue to be planned throughout Egypt, although they are aimed at security forces in Cairo and Alexandria. It also says that terrorist attacks continue to be planned throughout Egypt, although they are aimed at security forces in Cairo and Alexandria.

The political instability has led to a series of deadly bomb attacks in the capital, Cairo, usually targeting soldiers, police and businesses. But, the influence of Islamic State in the country is increasing. Last September, an IS spokesman issued a chilling online call to arms to Egyptian radicals saying: ‘If you can kill a disbelieving American or European . . . including the citizens of the countries that entered into a coalition against the Islamic State, kill him.’

In November 2014 the Sinai-based, Al Qaeda-inspired Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis (ABM) group pledged allegiance to IS. And last year, a suicide bomber blew up a bus killing three South Korean pilgrims on a trip to St Catherine’s Monastery near the Egypt-Israeli border crossing.

Tour operators halted excursions to the monastery.

The Foreign Office advises against all travel to North Sinai, and only essential travel to much of South Sinai. However, holiday resorts including Sharm el Sheikh, Sharm el Maya, Hadab, Naama Bay, Sharks Bay and Nabq are deemed safe because of the high security patrols and vehicle checks. Anyone landing at Sharm el Sheikh or Hurghada airports cannot fail to spot the armed military presence.

The advice adds that terrorist attacks continue to be planned throughout Egypt, although aimed at security forces in Cairo and Alexandria. You are also advised not to go near the Libyan border or anywhere remote in case of kidnapping. Jordan (pictured, Jordanian security forces outside the Iraqi embassy in Amman) has borders with Syria and Iraq.

Recently, there has been growing concern that Islamic State is garnering support there +5 Jordan (pictured, Jordanian security forces outside the Iraqi embassy in Amman) has borders with Syria and Iraq. Recently, there has been growing concern that Islamic State is garnering support there.

Morocco

In 2011, Morocco’s reputation as a country relatively free from extremism was shattered when an explosion ripped through a Marrakesh restaurant in a popular tourist spot.

In total, 17 people perished and 20 were injured when a bomb hidden in a handbag detonated at the Argana café. Most of those killed were tourists, including one Briton and a group of French students — one only ten. It was the first major terror attack in the country for eight years.

About 400,000 Britons visit the country each year, often to see Marrakech, as well as Fez and Casablanca. While the Foreign Office warns of a ‘general threat’ from terrorism — the same it gives for America and Canada — it says the government there has recently raised its level of vigilance due to the conflicts in Syria and Iraq.

Concern about the possible influence of IS was compounded last year (2014) when it released a video featuring eight Moroccan IS members who said they ‘intend to bring jihad to Moroccan soil’. 

Jordan

For more adventurous travellers, Jordan has become increasingly popular. Even no-frills airline flights travel there, taking people to see ancient sites such as Aqaba, Amman and Petra, as well as the Dead Sea. The country does, however, share borders with Syria and Iraq.

Recently, there has been growing concern that Islamic State is garnering support there. In February, the U.S. Embassy published a warning after receiving information that up-market shopping malls in Amman would be targeted, probably in a terrorist attack similar to the shooting in the Westgate shopping mall in Kenya. Although, the Jordanian government stepped up security patrols, American embassy staff and their citizens were advised to avoid shopping centres.

The Foreign Office says there is only a ‘general’ threat of terrorism in Jordan.

Kenya

The capital Nairobi and Mombasa have had spates of grenade attacks and shootings at public gatherings. Six British nationals were among those killed in the Westgate shopping mall attack in Nairobi in 2013. The Foreign Office says there is a ‘high’ risk of terrorism, advising against travelling near borders with Somalia, where the Al Shabaab militant group is based and kidnappings of Westerners are more likely.

Referring to the Westgate shootings it says ‘further attacks are likely’, adding that coastal areas where many beach resorts are have also been targeted 

Contact [email protected] for any travel concerns as well as advice, support and training.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/article-3004978/Will-resort-safe-year-tourists-targeted-Tunisia-threat-ISIS-attack-hangs-holidaymakers. Adapted from an article by Steve Bird of the Daily Mail on 20 March 2015 

Photos: RPS Partnership Morocco Marrakesh Medina