Tunisia defends efforts to protect British tourists

“Thomas Cook can confirm that it has cancelled all future bookings to Tunisia up until 31st October 2015″, the spokesman said.

He said: “They let us go out there and now we’ve been brought back home”.

In a statement, Thomas Cook said: “The safety and well-being of our customers is our primary concern”.

Germany’s Foreign Ministry said it was observing the situation very closely and adjusting travel advice regularly.

“It’s been hard and we feel for the Tunisian people because it’s their livelihood”, said Christian, a British tourist.

An attack is considered “highly likely.’ The Foreign and Commonwealth Office warns the threat of a terror attack has developed ‘considerably” since the Sousse attack “reinforcing our view that a further terrorist attack is highly likely”. This included evolving intelligence about the threat to Britons in Tunisia; information from the Tunisian security authorities that people with possible links to the Sousse attack were still at large; and the results of a security assessment carried out by United Kingdom experts.

The army and national guard operation came a day after Britain’s government urged all United Kingdom tourists to leave Tunisia because an extremist attack is “highly likely”, saying the North African country hasn’t done enough to enhance security.

“Tunisia will cooperate in evacuating Britons and will protect whoever wants to stay on”, he said.

Travel firms are seeking to fly the estimated 2,500 to 3,000 United Kingdom tourists in Tunisia out of the country in the next few days, reports BBC.

If you travel to Tunisia against FCO advice then that will invalidate your travel insurance cover.

Why has the Government’s advice changed? “If you have booked a package you will be entitled to a refund or alternative holiday”. The 30 Britons who died in Sousse were Thomson and First Choice customers and the operators – both owned by TUI Group – have no travelers in Tunisia. In addition to customers being able to amend free of charge, those choosing these new flights will be offered a £50 discount per person.

Hotels in the resort of Hammamet were largely empty of foreign tourists Friday.

She added: “Why didn’t they tell us that before we travelled here?” Everything we have heard is only what we have read online.

Officials advised against all non-essential travel, with the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs updating their position to take the same stance on Friday. “They have been awesome”.

Abta spokeswoman Gillian Edwards said thousands have already flown back to the United Kingdom or scrapped plans to visit Tunisia following the Sousse beach massacre a fortnight ago.

The decision had immediate consequences for the UK’s travel industry.

The two attacks, claimed by the Islamic State group, have dealt a heavy blow to the tourism industry, which contributes between seven and eight percent of Tunisia’s GDP.

The Tunisian Government has hit out at the British Government, accusing it of playing into the terrorist’s hands.

“There is a risk of further attacks, which could target tourists”.

The FCO said it was working with tour operators, including Thomas Cook and TUI Travel, to bring holidaymakers back to the UK.