Tui cancels 'vast majority' of holidays

Holiday firm Tui has suspended most of its travel operations due to the coronavirus

Tui has cancelled upcoming package holidays, cruises and hotel stays to help fight the spread of the coronavirus.

The German-based holiday firm said it is suspending most of its operations until further notice.

In a statement, the company said: "In this rapidly changing environment the safety and welfare of our guests and employees worldwide remains of paramount importance and thus TUI Group has decided, in line with government guidelines, to suspend the vast majority of all travel operations until further notice, including package travel, cruises and hotel operations.

"This temporary suspension is aimed at contributing to global governmental efforts to mitigate the effects of the spread of the Covid-19."

The coronavirus has led to an unprecedented number of travel restrictions as countries try to limit the spread of the virus.

Many countries have introduced additional screening measures and restrictions at airports and cruise ports. Some travellers may be restricted from entering a destination based on countries they have recently travelled to, while others will be obliged to self-isolate for a certain period of time.

Italy, Spain and France are all on lockdown in an effort to reduce the number of new coronavirus cases and deaths.

Tui.co.uk’s consumer facing website advised that affected customers would have their trips automatically cancelled and refunded – there is no need for customers to contact the company.

It added that customers currently in resorts will be contacted directly to confirm new departure dates and times.

Tui isn’t the only travel company cancelling holidays. Saga announced last week that it was cancelling all cruises until May. BA plans to reduce flights by 75% over the next few months and American Airlines has suspended 75% of its long-haul flights from the US. easyJet is grounding 100 of its 344 aircraft across Europe.

The coronavirus has also led to a number of travel insurers, including LV=, Churchill, Direct Line and Admiral, suspending the selling of travel insurance to new customers.