A new survey by hygiene experts at www.checksafetyfirst.com has found that 84% of British holidaymakers will not visit countries or resorts that they know to have poor reputations for food hygiene.

The survey, which was carried out amongst UK tourists in nine countries over May June and July of this year, found that only 16% would be comfortable holidaying in destinations with a poor track record in health and safety.

However, far from being reluctant to re-visit the same destinations, it also found that almost two thirds would be willing to re-consider their choice if they could be provided with proof that efforts had been made to minimise the risk of food poisoning.

"It's encouraging to know that with certain re-assurances people are happy to visit new places, but holiday illness can ruin the break for them and their family so it's understandable that they are reluctant to visit places they perceive to be high risk," commented www.checksafetyfirst.com CEO Steve Tate.

"The reputation of a resort or destination can play a huge role in determining where people choose to spend their holiday, but travellers must base their decision on fact rather than perception," continued Tate. "Some of the safest hotels in the world are in countries that many people would associate with poor hygiene, such as Mexico and the Dominican Republic and many are not the five star hotels people presume to be safe."

Tate and his team advocate a 'book-smart' approach to selecting a holiday destination, advising travellers to search out online information about their prospective accommodation before parting with money. Checksafetyfirst.com also advises people to ask their travel agent or tour operator about the measures that the accommodation they are looking at has in place to safeguard against poor hygiene.

"Because it has never been possible to find reliable standards for hotel food hygiene in the past, people have depended too much on the reputation of a resort or country when deciding where they go on holiday," continued Tate. "People should take a 'book-smart' approach, exploiting the information available to their advantage to reduce the chances of contracting food poisoning and allowing them to make the most of their hard-earned break."

About Check Safety First
Check Safety First is one of the world's leading independent food safety experts, offering hygiene training, ongoing assessment and appraisals to holiday resorts throughout the World in accordance with the Cristal Mark, a standard developed in accordance with the World Health Organisation's guidelines and the benchmark for food safety since its launch in 1997.

The company's web site www.checksafetyfirst.com is the first site to provide the UK's travelling public with access to a database of venues that have obtained the Cristal Mark for their efforts in food safety.

Check Safety First is a member of the Foreign & Commonwealth Office's 'Know Before You Go' campaign.

Check Safety First's global network is headquartered at Manor House, Bank Street, Chepstow, Monmouthshire, NP16 5EL, UK. Tel: 01291 629863. Fax: 01291 629627.