Help with TUI

BB2021

Hello, I'm looking for any advice whatsoever please.

My family and I booked a holiday to Sri Lanka in December with TUI at one of their hotels. We have booked and paid for the holiday in full. 

When the holiday was booked in June 2021 the TUI hotel we booked to stay in was a Level 1 Secure COVID Hotel. What this means is our children - who aren't vaccinated - were able to take a PCR test at the hotel, and then quarantine in the hotel for 1 or 2 days until the results came back.

On October 4th TUI removed themselves from the Level 1 Secure COVID bio bubble scheme. 

What this means now is that when we land our 14 and 17yr old children would have to move to a separate hotel in the capital Colombo whilst my husband and I, along with out younger child, travelled 4 hours across the country to the the TUI hotel. It would also mean, due to the dates, that our children would be in a quarantine hotel on their own on Christmas Day. 

Obviously this isn't something we would have booked had we known that TUI would remove themselves from the 'Level 1 secure' scheme. 

We have since spoken to TUI - after10 hours on hold on the telephone - and they have told us they do not have to refund us as it isn't in their terms and conditions. This is despite there being a big written passage on their website which says if a country requires any kind of quarantine, they simply won't go there. 

Any advice on what to do next will be greatly welcome. 

Thank you.

eskbanker

BB2021 said:

We have since spoken to TUI - after10 hours on hold on the telephone - and they have told us they do not have to refund us as it isn't in their terms and conditions. This is despite there being a big written passage on their website which says if a country requires any kind of quarantine, they simply won't go there.

Their wording at https://www.tui.co.uk/destinations/info/coronavirus seems more specific than that, on vaccination in particular - are you able and willing to have your children vaccinated before you go?

Your holiday won’t go ahead and you’ll be able to change your booking to another date fee-free or receive a full refund:   
• [...]
• If the government for the destination you’re travelling to decides to enforce quarantine on arrival and there isn’t the option to forgo this quarantine period by providing evidence of a negative COVID-19 test or of being fully vaccinated
• [...]

BB2021

Hello, thank you for replying.

In Northern Ireland - where we live - our 17yr old is able to get 1 vaccination, but our 14 yr old isn't able to. So no, we aren't able to get one vaccinated at all and the other is only permitted 1, which wouldn't satisfy Sri Lanka.

sheramber

https://www.srilanka.travel/

 On-arrival PCR tests i. No on-arrival PCR test for “Fully Vaccinated” travellers. ii. Not-vaccinated Children: • No on-arrival PCR test for Not-vaccinated children up to 12 years and they will be allowed to travel with their parents. • Not-vaccinated children of 12 -18 years need to undergo on-arrival PCR testing at the Ministry of Health approved laboratory at BIA or at any other MOH approved laboratory and inform the result to the area MOH. If the Day 1 PCR report is negative, they will be allowed to travel with their parents. iii. No 2nd PCR for fully vaccinated travellers.

eskbanker

BB2021 said:

On October 4th TUI removed themselves from the Level 1 Secure COVID bio bubble scheme. 

What this means now is that when we land our 14 and 17yr old children would have to move to a separate hotel in the capital Colombo whilst my husband and I, along with out younger child, travelled 4 hours across the country to the the TUI hotel. It would also mean, due to the dates, that our children would be in a quarantine hotel on their own on Christmas Day. 

Obviously this isn't something we would have booked had we known that TUI would remove themselves from the 'Level 1 secure' scheme.

Have TUI confirmed this to you yet, or have you read it somewhere else?  If it's an action that they've taken unilaterally then I'd have thought that there's a case that they've caused a significant change to your holiday, thereby triggering their cancellation/refund obligations under the Package Travel Regulations....

BB2021

eskbanker said:

BB2021 said:

On October 4th TUI removed themselves from the Level 1 Secure COVID bio bubble scheme. 

What this means now is that when we land our 14 and 17yr old children would have to move to a separate hotel in the capital Colombo whilst my husband and I, along with out younger child, travelled 4 hours across the country to the the TUI hotel. It would also mean, due to the dates, that our children would be in a quarantine hotel on their own on Christmas Day. 

Obviously this isn't something we would have booked had we known that TUI would remove themselves from the 'Level 1 secure' scheme.

Have TUI confirmed this to you yet, or have you read it somewhere else?  If it's an action that they've taken unilaterally then I'd have thought that there's a case that they've caused a significant change to your holiday, thereby triggering their cancellation/refund obligations under the Package Travel Regulations....

Yes, the hotel in Sri Lanka have confirmed this. They were originally on the Level 1 list but have since removed themselves from it. I have the email directly from them.

BB2021

sheramber said:

 On-arrival PCR tests i. No on-arrival PCR test for “Fully Vaccinated” travellers. ii. Not-vaccinated Children: • No on-arrival PCR test for Not-vaccinated children up to 12 years and they will be allowed to travel with their parents. • Not-vaccinated children of 12 -18 years need to undergo on-arrival PCR testing at the Ministry of Health approved laboratory at BIA or at any other MOH approved laboratory and inform the result to the area MOH. If the Day 1 PCR report is negative, they will be allowed to travel with their parents. iii. No 2nd PCR for fully vaccinated travellers.

Before the 04th October the TUI hotel had booked was a Level 1 secure hotel. This meant PCR tests and quarantine could be carried out at the hotel until the tests came back. As of the 04th October TUI removed themselves from the Level 1 list.

This means our children would have to quarantine at a hotel in Colombo on their own and until the PCR tests came back. 

Caz3121

have you asked TUI about a change of hotels?
You mention TUI removed themselves from the Level 1 list but also that the hotel removed themselves from it so not clear whether another hotel would be an option or not.
as with everything in these current times the rules in 2 months time could be very different to they are today, some tour companies will not take any action until closer to departure date (similar to insurance which may quote '.....28 days before departure' or similar)
Maybe the best question for TUI would be "if the rules are unchanged at time of travel, what would happen?"

superbigal

BB2021 said:

Hello, thank you for replying.

In Northern Ireland - where we live - our 17yr old is able to get 1 vaccination, but our 14 yr old isn't able to. So no, we aren't able to get one vaccinated at all and the other is only permitted 1, which wouldn't satisfy Sri Lanka.

Did not realise NI was so different.  You should pop over to Scotland and go to a walk in clinic.

eskbanker

BB2021 said:

eskbanker said:

BB2021 said:

On October 4th TUI removed themselves from the Level 1 Secure COVID bio bubble scheme. 

What this means now is that when we land our 14 and 17yr old children would have to move to a separate hotel in the capital Colombo whilst my husband and I, along with out younger child, travelled 4 hours across the country to the the TUI hotel. It would also mean, due to the dates, that our children would be in a quarantine hotel on their own on Christmas Day. 

Obviously this isn't something we would have booked had we known that TUI would remove themselves from the 'Level 1 secure' scheme.

Have TUI confirmed this to you yet, or have you read it somewhere else?  If it's an action that they've taken unilaterally then I'd have thought that there's a case that they've caused a significant change to your holiday, thereby triggering their cancellation/refund obligations under the Package Travel Regulations....

Yes, the hotel in Sri Lanka have confirmed this. They were originally on the Level 1 list but have since removed themselves from it. I have the email directly from them.

And this was definitely an email from TUI themselves, with a TUI email address?  I'd have thought that any comms would come from the UK tour operator with whom you have a contract, but it's a large organisation and it may take time for the left hand and the right hand to align....

Westin

BB2021 said:

Hello, I'm looking for any advice whatsoever please.

My family and I booked a holiday to Sri Lanka in December with TUI at one of their hotels. We have booked and paid for the holiday in full. 

When the holiday was booked in June 2021 the TUI hotel we booked to stay in was a Level 1 Secure COVID Hotel. What this means is our children - who aren't vaccinated - were able to take a PCR test at the hotel, and then quarantine in the hotel for 1 or 2 days until the results came back.

On October 4th TUI removed themselves from the Level 1 Secure COVID bio bubble scheme. 

What this means now is that when we land our 14 and 17yr old children would have to move to a separate hotel in the capital Colombo whilst my husband and I, along with out younger child, travelled 4 hours across the country to the the TUI hotel. It would also mean, due to the dates, that our children would be in a quarantine hotel on their own on Christmas Day. 

Obviously this isn't something we would have booked had we known that TUI would remove themselves from the 'Level 1 secure' scheme. 

We have since spoken to TUI - after10 hours on hold on the telephone - and they have told us they do not have to refund us as it isn't in their terms and conditions. This is despite there being a big written passage on their website which says if a country requires any kind of quarantine, they simply won't go there. 

Any advice on what to do next will be greatly welcome. 

Thank you.

Could you explain a little more about this and name the hotel?

To my knowledge TUI don’t have any owned or managed hotels in Sri Lanka so I don’t quite understand your comment about TUI removing themselves from the arrangements.

I guess quite possibly things will change between now and December anyway but if there another hotel that TUI feature that would fit this criteria?  I can’t see TUI expecting your teens to isolate in another hotel.  Perhaps rule changes will simply mean a quick lateral flow test at the airport upon arrival and they stay in their room (at the same hotel) until the results come back. They might even have them before they board the transfer bus.