The claim, made two years after Amy Hughes from Holyhead returned home from her 2011 holiday, was due to be heard by a court last October, but was dropped just before the hearing without explanation, the Daily Mail reports.
Hughes spent 11 days at the Iberotel Palace in Sharm. A Thomson investigation found she had eaten only a small number of breakfasts at her hotel and had eaten out in the resort. She denied this, but the operator pursued her for the legal costs it had incurred in building its defence.
Two weeks ago, Wrexham County Court found Hughes had been “fundamentally dishonest” and ordered her to pay Thomson £25,000 by October 6. Both Hughes and her lawyers declined to comment when approached by the Daily Mail.
The award is believed to be the highest made so far following the crackdown on fake claims by operators.
The case follows a similar episode a fortnight ago, when a court in Liverpool ordered a couple to pay nearly £4,000 after they had falsely sought up to £10,000 from Thomas Cook following a holiday in Gran Canaria.
Nick Longman, TUI UK and Ireland managing director said: “This sends a clear message to anyone considering making a fraudulent or exaggerated claim and it’s really important that everyone fully understands that there are consequences of doing so.
“We recognise that on occasion a very small number of our customers will unfortunately experience being unwell on holiday and we do all that we can to prevent this and support them when it happens.”
