Public Servant Lifestyle

UK travel industry trade association ABTA has joined forces with the British Travel Health Association to help travellers have healthy and safe holidays.

The Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) has announced the launch of a new resource, Holiday Health Check which aims to help travellers have a healthy and safe holiday.

The booklet, which is also endorsed by the British Travel Health Association (BTHA) and has been produced by Sanofi Pasteur MSD, is available to all ABTA members and the public via their travel agents and supports the need to inform holidaymakers of potential health risks while overseas.

At-Risk?

Cate Riley, Executive Committee Member of the BTHA, the organisation for travel health experts in the UK, and Travel Health Advisor at Surrey Lodge Travel Clinic, Manchester, said: "The number of people who are travelling abroad and not taking the appropriate precautions is alarming. When travelling to at-risk destinations, a visit to their GP or Travel Clinic should be at the top of their list but travellers are often unaware of the need for advice and immunisation. Holiday Health Check is a welcome initiative in informing UK travellers about health and safety precautions required whilst abroad."

In the past ten years, bookings to European, Australian and US destinations have increased by 117%. This unique new resource will provide the traveller with comprehensive yet accessible information on what precautions should be taken when travelling abroad and advice about vaccine preventable diseases.

"The most recent figures available show that over 60 million visits abroad are made by UK residents each year, so it is important that we have the information to help protect people against risk factors such as disease, illness and accidents. ABTA members are required, under ABTA's Code of Conduct, to inform their clients of the health requirements which are necessary and we are delighted that we can now provide them with this exciting new booklet to give them the information they need", commented Keith Betton, Head of Corporate Affairs at ABTA.

Travel agents can distribute the booklet to clients at the same time as the booking, which can be used as a reference point for specific queries, along with the usual holiday information such as flight tickets and itineraries. Detailed information outlined in Holiday Health Check will alert holidaymakers to the fact that they should seek advice at least six weeks before going away.

Detailed

The detailed booklet offers travellers a variety of information ranging from how to obtain travel health advice and how to help protect themselves from diseases specific to various countries, to avoiding road accidents and becoming a victim of crime while away.

Holiday Health Check is also available online to the public at wwww.abta.com, www.spmsd.co.uk or on the National Travel Health Network and Centre website: www.nathnac.org.

The Association of British Travel Agents is the UK's Premier Trade Association for Tour Operators and Travel Agents. ABTA's 989 tour operator and 5990 travel agency offices are responsible for the sale of some 85% of UK-sold holidays.

The British Travel Health Association serves and supports professionals with a specialty or interest in travel health and medicine; promotes a multi-disciplinary approach to travel health and provides a forum for discussion, information exchange and research. The BTHA also aims to increase public awareness of travel health hazards. For further information about the BTHA please visit www.btha.org or call 0870 042 3640.

Click here to view or download the Holiday Health Check (3.12MB) booklet.

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