KUONI (Kuoni Travel)

Member Name: Aang

Product:	Kuoni Travel
Date:	22/08/00 (140 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Kuoni is highly regarded.

Disadvantages: Problems of safety should perhaps be given more attention. Some interesting destinations are missing.

To Cuba with Cubana? My January to December 2000 Kuoni brochure has flights by Cubana, which does not have a good safety record! The 2001 brochure has flights to Cuba only with British Airways or Air France. Sri Lanka? I can't see anything in the brochure about bombs exploding on buses or in the streets of the capital. Thailand? Kuoni no longer do the infamous Grace hotel which was, well, not just a hotel. But Pattaya is still in the brochure in spite of the high death rate among tourists (Pattaya is a place of dangerous gangsters and the local police allegedly try to hush things up). Belize? I can't see any reference to hurricanes (except in small print at the back of the brochure where it says some countries have hurricanes). Bali? Check the back of the brochure because it's 16 and a half hours flying time. Then I can't see any reference to Japanese Encephalitis or riots in Bali. People can die of Japanese Encephalitis. Want to spend a fortnight in Bogor in Java? You can't with Kuoni (but maybe just as well, as there have been riots and bombs in Indonesia).
I have used Kuoni and would use them again. They are pretty reliable and seem to be respected by tour operators. However I would suggest that anyone going to faraway places should use the internet to contact-
(1)Foreign and Commonwealth Office- Travel Advice
http://www.fco.gov.uk/travel/default.asp
(2)World Health Organisation- International Travel and Health .
(3)various air safety sites which list the unsafe airlines.
I hope that Kuoni ( and its rivals) will produce more honest brochures, and, include more destinations (there are lots of places missing -Philippines? Russia? Panama? )

Summary: