Bird Flu in Turkey

[Hanorah]

The bird flu in Turkey is looking pretty grim at the moment.
From following the bird flu forums since reading about the initial deaths and it seems to spreading throughout the Country. Obviously I expect that my pre-booked customers will have some concerns and might even want to cancel. If this is the case should I pre-emp by emailing and suggesting if they haven't already getting insurance in case they need to cancel their trip.

Now part of me is against scare mongering but equally according to the experts on the forums including virus experts the situation in Turkey seems a bit unique compared to china and Indonesia etc. Of course it might all die down but apparantly it is now present in 11 cities and the latest news is that a reporter and 2 drivers reporting on the cases have been hospitalised for unknown illnesses although if they had contact with paitients remains unclear.

This is probably a unique enquiry on lay my hat but I really do need advise as to what you would do if you were in the same situation.

[cromercrabholiday]

We were looking at a flotilla holiday in the Med this year - the last few days news have caused us to hold off for a few months to see how things develop. I'm afraid a lot of punters are likely to be doing the same.

John

[Ju]

Hi Hanorah

This must be a very testing time for you. I think that, in your position, I would sit tight for a bit. A lot can happen between now and the holiday season. I think that if you contact people you might scare away some people who weren't previously concerned.

Is your deposit none refundable?

I hope for everyone's sake that this does not escalate.

Ju

[alexia s.]

Hanorah,
No insurer will give this kind of cover - and it's too late for that, anyway. See how the whole nightmarish situation develops.

[Alan Knighting]

Honorah,

This is an example of why I advise visitors that they should arrange cancellation cover.

I have no wish to appear brass-necked about it but I am not prepared to indemnify anyone against the consequences of them changing their minds.

I am not introducing bird flu, my properties remain the same and I am fulfilling my side of the bargain.

If the spread of bird flu is a valid reason for cancelling a holiday then clients can recover their losses from their insurers. If they have not taken out insurance then it is their problem, not mine.

Alan

[Guest3]

Hanorah

I'd sit tight and wait for your clients to contact you. I wouldn't prempt the situation. I'd also have a look at the Foreign Office website, as they often give advise to tourists going abroad in the event of a crisis in a particular country.

We always advise guests that have booked to take out a comprehensive travel insurance that includes a cancellation policy..but I really don't know what classification insurers will regard 'Bird Flu'?

[Hanorah]

Hi just had a request for a month booking to cancel requesting politely that I make an exception and pay the deposit back. I am gutted as was nearly fully booked this year. However it might be worth other owners thinking about the bird flu consequences for countries also on the migration path including UK that they beleive infected Turkey. I hope not for all our sakes but it travelled from China to Turkey is in Romania and other Countries already.

[alexia s.]

Hanorah,
Why don't you suggest that they wait and see how this develops? - it could all blow over in a few weeks & then they would be kicking themselves for having reacted prematurely. A lot of water will go under the bridge between January and July.

[A-two]

Hanorah,
I agree with others, sit tight and do not vary any of your terms, otherwise you are reinforcing fear and panic. Summer is a long way off.

Just to put this in perspective, so far as I am aware, all flu comes from birds, this is flu season and the flu in Turkey is not the dreaded strain being passed human to human. Do they actually have a single case that proves it's passing human to human? CNN says not. Anything passing human to human is a different strain, or it could be spreading through eating contaminated birds, which is entirely avoidable if you over cook it or avoid poultry altogether. Am I being sold porky pies by the media?

I don't view bird flu as any greater threat than any other natural event, like hurricanes, brush fires, tornados, floods and earthquakes. The cynic in me thinks the drug companies want to sell more Tamiflu...keep

[Guest3]

From what I gather from the media there isn't a strain as yet where 'bird flu' can be passed from human to human...at present it's only from contact with infected birds.

[Hanorah]

No theres no proven human to human yet but there is evidence that it might be more efficient bird to human which is the worrying development. Of course it could be that Turkey is more transparent at reporting cases and the strain is the same and not more efficient. Many experts fear that China has been covering up or that previous deaths in rural areas have been attributed to something else which is why the amount of infected appears unusual in Turkey.

However WHO are looking very closely at whether the strain has mutated into more efficient bird to human. The people infected in all cases so far have all had close contact with infected birds and hunting has been banned and a mass cull initiated. However bird flu is spread by migrating ducks who are carriers but not affected by the flu as they have immunity. Of course ducks have no respect for borders so I hope that for everyones sake that Turkey is dealing with this efficiently. This is because the more humans birds infect the greater the chance it will mutate in to human to human.

Pandemics do occur every 20 to 30 years naturally and it is 40 years since the last one. However it should also be said that even if it does mutate into human to human it could mutate into a much less dangerous strain being no worse or just slightly worse than the normal flu. This is a sum up of the information I have picked up in the last couple of days.

[debk]

Hi, Hanorah -

Nothing new to add except I agree that you should hold your ground for now.

If a guest asked, I think I would say what you have written here: contrary to what they may have read or heard, the flu has only been contracted by people who work closely with infected poultry. However, if they do decide to cancel then I would offer to write a cancellation invoice/email which they can present to their Trip Insurer for reimbursement processing.

(eg, It was up to them to purchase trip cancellation insurance. If they chose not to, it is not your fault.)

Hopefully, everyone's website and rental agreement strongly recommends that guests purchase trip insurance.

Hanorah, I do hope all turns out well for you... and all of Turkey, of course. Hang in there!
debk

[Nightowl]

I think you should politely tell them that your cancellation terms will apply - presumably that you have no option but to retain their deposit. As you say, the thinking is that bird flu is only caught by coming into contact with or eating sick birds - and unfortunately, as Joanna says, it is much like any other natural disaster; It is your guest's decision to cancel and whilst most of us don't like having to do nasty things like retaining deposits when the guests clearly want it back, for fear of seeming nasty or unreasonable , they should have travel insurance and this is presumably the sort of thing it should cover (though whether the insurance company will take the view that it was the guest's decision and not actually unavoidable, who knows....)

I think it is reasonable that you offer any help/paperwork etc to assist them to reclaim their deposit from their travel insurers.

[Normandy Cow]

I would not return the deposit. What is the point of a deposit if people can just change their minds?!

However, I would let them know that as a gesture of goodwill, if I do subsequently sell those weeks, then I would return the deposit, less a small charge for administration costs.

I think that is fair enough - but if they do manage to claim from their insurers (although to be honest I don't think their insurers would reimburse them at this stage), then they would actually be quids in, as they would get reimbursed from both sides!!!!

[alexia s.]

Insurers would reimburse someone who caught bird flu but not someone who was afraid of catching it.