Reports are now coming in on how Brexit costs are beginning to actually hit British holidaymaker’s plans and St.Lucia’s own tourism industry.
Britain’s Sunday Times reported that when Purva Bhargava booked a luxury holiday to St Lucia for September, she never imagined the vote for Brexit would hike the cost of her trip by £426.
The counseling psychologist, from Stratford in east London, was hit with surcharges because her hotel was asking customers for the extra cash because of the falling pound.
Tour operators are allowed to impose an additional fee after a holiday has been booked. This could be because of currency fluctuations, rising fuel costs or higher taxes. The company must absorb the first 2% increase in the total price; after that the extra cost can be passed on.
The travel association Abta said: “It needs to be a reasonable fluctuation to make it worth the while of the tour operator. If the surcharge is above 10% [of the total holiday cost], customers must be offered the right to cancel and receive a full refund.”
Bhargava was able to cancel her holiday to St.Lucia and rebook elsewhere.
Customers must be notified of a surcharge at least 30 days before departure, and Abta recommends firms allow customers two weeks to pay.
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