A new study has named and shamed the world's worst resorts when it comes to cases of food poisoning. Photo / Getty Images
A new study has named and shamed the world's worst resorts when it comes to cases of food poisoning. Photo / Getty Images
When you're planning a holiday you have a lot on your plate to think about.
Travellers put a lot of time and effort into researching flights and accommodation. However, there have been precious few resources for guests to digest when it comes to researching the risk of an upset stomach.
A new study has named and shamed the world's worst offending resorts when it comes to cases of food poisoning.
The risks of travel tummy bugs has often been based on anecdotal evidence, with some destinations being more notorious for stomach upsets than others.
However, after the investigation by UK travel experts Sick Holidays and food tolerance company YorkTest, it seems that Delhi Belly should be renamed Mexico Gastro.
The popular Red Sea resort accounted for 95 per cent of claims in Egypt. Photo / Flickr.com, compidoc
The resorts of Cancun and Riviera Maya both came in the top 5 - with 95 and 182 cases of food poisoning respectively.
However the worst resort for 'food-related illness' over the past two years is the Hurghada resort in Egypt. The popular resort just 40km away from the Red Sea accounted for 95 per cent of claims in Egypt, with 380 falling ill.
The affordable resort on the edge of Egypt has been popular with German and British holidaymakers for years. The resort saw a recovery of visitor numbers after it dropped its prices to encourage travellers fly to Sharm El-Sheikh, following the bombing of a Russian passenger jet in 2015.
While tourists flocking back to the resort have been seen as a return of confidence, it appears that the cases of stomach bugs have also been resurgent.
Richard Conroy of Sick Holiday told the Mail Online that the "levels of holiday illness we see from certain locations is very worrying.
Hurghada: The affordable resort on the edge of Egypt has been popular with German holidaymakers for years. Photo / Flickr.com, compidoc
"For two years we have received a complaint about Hurghada more than once every two days, a huge number for such a small resort."
Hurghada sees over 60,000 tourists visit a year.
"Food poisoning kills 420,000 people a year worldwide and 600 million people a year are affected by it," said Conroy.
While tourists are attracted for the reliably balmy temperatures, heat may be a factor for these worrying hygiene results.
"The reliably hot weather, unfortunately, brings its dangers," said Conroy.
Cancun: It seems that Delhi Belly should be renamed Mexico Gastro. Photo / Flickr.com, GuestGrrl
"In hot resorts like Hurghada, lukewarm food served at 35C is a prime growing temperature for dangerous bacteria.
"If you are keeping the food at the wrong temperature and you keep it there for long enough, and it has been cross-contaminated, you will always deliver pathogenic bacteria."
Apart from food poisoning resorts in Mexico and the Dominican Republic have been suffering scares of bootlegged alcohol poisoning.
The Dominican resort of Punta Cana came in second with 211 cases illness from tainted food and drink.
Up to 25 deaths are currently being investigated in connection to bootlegged alcohol across the Dominican Republic since 2017.
This increased concern has led to a fall in occupancy, with Travel Weekly reporting the Majestic Resorts occupancy to be under 60 per cent over the peak season of June and July.
Last week the Majestic Elegance hotel in the Punta Cana resort has said it will be closing until November 7 due to this low occupancy. The resorts said that negative coverage has wounded tourism for the whole country.
*Data based on insurance claims submitted to Sick Holiday in 2017-18.
