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17 July 2013 10:06
Many Britons would ignore Foreign Office warnings about unsafe destinations, according to research
More than half of Britons would ignore official advice against travelling to unsafe destinations if they had already planned their trip, research has suggested.
Some 53% said they would go ahead with their trip if they had already made up their mind to travel to a destination and the Foreign Office advised against going there.
Earlier this month the Foreign Office warned against all but essential travel to most parts of Egypt when political clashes followed the overthrow of President Mohammed Morsi.
The latest research, by travel agent sunshine.co.uk, found nearly all Britons (91%) were unaware which countries were subject to travel warnings by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
Three-quarters said they would not check the Foreign Office website before travelling to see if their destination carried a warning. The findings further underline the importance of worldwide travel insurance for those falling into these groups, as well as all other travellers.
Of the minority who would heed travel warnings and would cancel or delay their journey, "violent incidents and protests" at their destination - such as the current unrest in Egypt - was cited as most likely to deter them.
The next most frequently mentioned factor was warnings of "severe weather and natural disaster".
Chris Clarkson of sunshine.co.uk, which conducted the survey of 1,962 British adults, said he was "shocked" at the findings.
He said the Government issues travel warnings for a reason and advised people who want to remain safe and enjoy a hassle-free trip overseas to always check the Foreign Office website for advice and base their travel plans around what they find.
This should be part and parcel of the holiday bookings process, "especially for those planning to go somewhere off the beaten track". It is not often that popular holiday resorts will have warnings issued against them, but it is always worth checking just in case, he added.
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