A troubling trend could lead British tourists to be banned from some all-inclusive hotels in Mallorca and other Spanish resort destinations.
According to the Sun, the Mallorca Hotel Business Federation has warned tour operators about a potential ban on U.K. visitors ahead of the 2018 season because of a skyrocketing number of false food poisoning claims.
Hoteliers on the Spanish island have paid out more than $64 million in compensation over the past 18 months.
"The only way to address this once and for all is by taking drastic measures," the federation's president Inmaculada Benito told Spanish newspaper Diario de Hora via the Sun.
An hotelier from Salou, Spain called the new trend a "scandal."
"Just saying that they have become ill is worth it for them," he told the Sun. "Strangely, they were the only ones who got sick despite the fact that the hotel was practically full."
The spike in claims is being partly attributed to some British law firms that are allegedly reaching out to travelers and encouraging them to make the bogus claims. The average payout is around $6,500.
A spokesman for the Spanish Confederation of Hotels and Tourist Accommodation told the Mirror that little to no evidence is needed to cash in.
"In many cases, they do not even present official medical evidence of the supposed illnesses caught in the hotels," the spokesman said. "They only report that they have become ill from some food poisoning and ask for compensation."
Oftentimes hotels will pay out the claims rather than deal with a court battle.
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At the urging of many properties, the British government is currently considering new laws that would penalize vacationers who file false food poisoning claims. Penalties could include stiff fines.
In the meantime, some hotels are considering requesting guests to sign disclaimer forms at the completion of their stay to confirm they did not suffer from food poisoning.
Still, with a ban potentially forthcoming, tour operators may be forced to look to different European markets to fill the void.
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