Will your resort be safe this year? After tourists were targeted in Tunisia, the threat of ISIS attack hangs over holidaymakers

Gun guard: Egypt (security forces pictured) has high security at its prime tourist resorts and at the Pyramids 

As holiday companies cancel trips to Tunisia’s capital following this week’s massacre of 20 foreign tourists at a museum, the threat Islamic State could pose to British holidaymakers has been brought sharply into focus.

The harrowing revelation that a Shropshire woman died in the attack in what is regarded as a moderate Islamic nation has raised the possibility that the influence of these hate-filled terrorists has spread to other African and Mediterranean countries popular with UK holidaymakers.

With the Easter holidays near, many British people must now question whether once apparently safe destinations have been infected by the barbaric Islamic State ideology.

A spokeswoman for travel watchdog ABTA said that while British tourists tend to be quite resilient and have a ‘level-headed’ view of terrorist threats, holidaymakers should consult the Foreign Office before travelling. But how safe are traditional destinations for British travellers?

TUNISIA

The shootings in Tunisia, which has a fledgling democracy, could severely damage the country’s tourism trade. Its holiday industry had made an impressive recovery since the Arab Spring in 2011. That year, 408,000 British nationals visited, rising to about 420,000 last year.

+5

The Foreign Office classifies the threat of terrorism as ‘high’ across all of Turkey, advising against all travel to borders with Syria (pictured, Turkish soldiers stand guard on the Turkish-Syrian border)

TURKEY

More than two-and-half million Brits fly to Turkey each year. While most visit Mediterranean resorts, many head for Istanbul, its cultural and historical heart.

In recent months it has emerged that British youngsters infatuated with Islamic State have flown there and travelled south to slip into war-torn Syria.

While most popular resorts are hundreds of miles from the Syrian border, there are still active terrorist groups in the whole country, some inspired by IS.

The Foreign Office classifies the threat of terrorism as ‘high’ across all of Turkey (the same as in France following the Charlie Hebdo shootings), advising against all travel to borders with Syria.

Last year, a car bomb at a petrol station near a border-crossing killed dozens of people.

In January, a banned Marxist group used a suicide bomber to kill a policeman in Istanbul’s Sultanahmet, near the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia museum, the city’s most famous attractions.

EGYPT

Resorts such as Sharm el Sheikh on the Red Sea have made Egypt a top winter sun destination for British families. At one point 9,000 UK visitors were at that resort on any single day during peak season.

But the country has been rocked by political turmoil since the overthrow of Hosni Mubarak in 2011. After the country descended into military rule after the overthrow of the Muslim Brotherhood, the number of tourists visiting dropped by 25 per cent. Political demonstrations, sometimes leading to violence, are commonplace.

+5

An Egyptian soldier stands guard in Cairo's Tahrir Square. The Foreign Office says that terrorist attacks continue to be planned throughout Egypt, although aimed at security forces in Cairo and Alexandria

The political instability has led to a series of deadly bomb attacks in the capital, Cairo, usually targeting soldiers, police and businesses. But, the influence of Islamic State in the country is increasing.

Last September, an IS spokesman issued a chilling online call to arms to Egyptian radicals saying: ‘If you can kill a disbelieving American or European . . . including the citizens of the countries that entered into a coalition against the Islamic State, kill him.’ In November the Sinai-based, Al Qaeda-inspired Ansar Bayt al-Maqdis (ABM) group pledged allegiance to IS. And last year, a suicide bomber blew up a bus killing three South Korean pilgrims on a trip to St Catherine’s Monastery near the Egypt-Israeli border crossing. Tour operators halted excursions to the monastery.

The Foreign Office advises against all travel to North Sinai, and only essential travel to much of South Sinai. However, holiday resorts including Sharm el Sheikh, Sharm el Maya, Hadab, Naama Bay, Sharks Bay and Nabq are deemed safe because of the high security patrols and vehicle checks. Anyone landing at Sharm el Sheikh or Hurghada airports cannot fail to spot the armed military presence.

The advice adds that terrorist attacks continue to be planned throughout Egypt, although aimed at security forces in Cairo and Alexandria.

You are also advised not to go near the Libyan border or anywhere remote in case of kidnapping.

+5

Jordan (pictured, Jordanian security forces outside Iraqi embassy) shares borders with Syria and Iraq. Recently, there has been growing concern that Islamic State is garnering support there

+5

Nairobi and Mombassa in Kenya have had spates of grenade attacks and shootings at public gatherings

MOROCCO

In 2011, Morocco’s reputation as a country relatively free from extremism was shattered when an explosion ripped through a Marrakesh restaurant in a popular tourist spot.

In total, 17 people perished and 20 were injured when a bomb hidden in a handbag detonated at the Argana café. Most of those killed were tourists, including one Briton and a group of French students — one only ten. It was the first major terror attack in the country for eight years.

About 400,000 Britons visit the country each year, often to see Marrakech, as well as Fez and Casablanca. While the Foreign Office warns of a ‘general threat’ from terrorism — the same it gives for America and Canada — it says the government there has recently raised its level of vigilance due to the conflicts in Syria and Iraq. Concern about the possible influence of IS was compounded last year when it released a video featuring eight Moroccan IS members who said they ‘intend to bring jihad to Moroccan soil’.

DUBAI

This emirate on the south-east coast of the Persian Gulf is the financial and tourist hub of the United Arab Emirates.

WHAT TO DO IF YOU'VE BOOKED

Holidaymakers who have booked to go to Tunisia will likely be feeling nervous, but experts advise checking your travel insurance small print before changing or cancelling you booking.

Most tour operators take their advice from the Government’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office. It offers travel guidance for all countries, and flags up when areas are too dangerous.

Green means all is fine amber means all but essential travel should be avoided, and red means you shouldn’t travel there under any circumstances.

While this week’s horror in the Tunisian capital Tunis is unsettling, Bob Atkinson, of Moneysupermarket, points out that the country’s beach resorts will still be considered safe.

Tunisia’s coast is shown in green — except in the far south east towards the border with Libya. The west of the country bordering Algeria and the south neighbouring Libya are amber or red.

Situations such as these highlight why it’s so important to take out your travel insurance as soon as you book your trip, instead of waiting until the last minute.

Unfortunately, if an area is still classed as safe to travel then your insurance policy won’t cover you if you incur fees for changing or cancelling your booking.

Conversely, if you travel to a destination which has been flagged as unsafe you’ll invalidate your insurance.

■ Find FCO travel information at.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice 

About a million UK tourists visit every year. While Islamic terrorists have largely left it alone, the government said it foiled a plot in 2012. The Foreign Office again says there is a ‘general’ threat of terrorism which could target ‘British interests’, adding that ‘attacks can’t be ruled out and could be indiscriminate, including in places frequented by foreigners’.

JORDAN

For more adventurous travellers, Jordan has become increasingly popular. Even no-frills airline flights travel there, taking people to see ancient sites such as Aqaba, Amman and Petra, as well as the Dead Sea.

The country does, however, share borders with Syria and Iraq. Recently, there has been growing concern that Islamic State is garnering support there.

In February, the U.S. Embassy published a warning after receiving information that up-market shopping malls in Amman would be targeted, probably in a terrorist attack similar to the shooting in the Westgate shopping mall in Kenya.

Although, the Jordanian government stepped up security patrols, American embassy staff and their citizens were advised to avoid shopping centres.

The Foreign Office says there is only a ‘general’ threat of terrorism in Jordan.

KENYA

The capital Nairobi and Mombassa have had spates of grenade attacks and shootings at public gatherings.

Six British nationals were among those killed in the Westgate shopping mall attack in Nairobi in 2013.

The Foreign Office says there is a ‘high’ risk of terrorism, advising against travelling near borders with Somalia, where the Al Shabaab militant group is based and kidnappings of Westerners are more likely.

Referring to the Westgate shootings it says ‘further attacks are likely’, adding that coastal areas where many beach resorts are have also been targeted.