Travel chief tells ITV News: Better holiday warnings are needed
One of Britain's leading tour operators has joined a growing push for changes to the way tourists receive security warnings.
The head of Thomas Cook told ITV News the firm will hold talks with industry bodies, following concerns that the system of risk alerts has left some customers confused.
Critics have claimed there is too little information on risks in brochures - and that a government website for alerts is baffling.
Speaking for the first time since the Tunisian massacre, the tour firm's CEO Peter Fankhauser said: "People have an additional need to really get this information and get it in a form that they understand what it means.
"I fully agree this is something we as Thomas Cook, one of the leaders in leisure sector, can take up."
The travel boss added: "In the digital age the absolute key is that we are authentic and that we are really transparent to our customers and this is a chapter where we for sure have something to improve as an industry".
Mr Fankhauser reveals that the Tunisian government has offered talks with UK travel firms about resort security.
"There are a lot of people working for the tourism industry so their huge interest is really that they have a safe environment for our guests," he said.
Some holidaymakers caught in last week's beach attack complained of inadequate warnings, after discovering that terrorists had already targeted tourists in the area.
The government's alert site, run by the Foreign Office, did not advise tourists against travel to Sousse even in the immediate aftermath of the murders there.
Mark Barlow, from Scunthorpe, was on Sousse beach when the attack started.
"We checked when we booked the holiday where were the safe zones and the danger zones. We were pretty much the furthest away from the danger zone," Mr Barlow said.
He was on holiday with his partner Becky Catterick who told ITV's Tonight programme: "We looked behind us and there was a man all in black looking down at the floor carrying the biggest gun you'll ever see".
Mr Fankhauser reveals how his own sister was desperate for extra safety information on Tunisia.
He said: "My sister was on the phone with her son who has kids aged five and eight. They booked with us in September and, of course, I said look I would go yes - if you ask me personally I would go".
The Foreign Office said it keeps its travel advice under close and constant review.
"Our travel advice provides up-to-date information to help Britons make informed travel decisions," a spokesperson told ITV News.
"The UK’s own threat level remains at severe, meaning a terrorist attack is highly likely: we would expect Britons to take the same precautions while on holiday as they would at home.
"In addition to keeping our travel advice under close and constant review, the Foreign Office’s “Know Before You Go” campaign provides information to Britons going overseas – including a travel checklist and advice on the terrorist threat abroad."
The FCO spokesman added that it provided personal support to 17,000 Britons last year.
Tonight: How Safe is Your Summer Holiday? will be broadcast on ITV at 7.30pm