A Fife couple have been forced to cut their £5,000 honeymoon short amid safety concerns over travelling to Sri Lanka.
Stuart Cairns and Hannah Stenhouse-Cairns arrived in the Maldives after three nights in Dubai on Wednesday and planned to travel on to Colombo in Sri Lanka on Monday.
However, the Methilhill couple discovered Sri Lanka had declared a state of emergency when they arrived for their flight on Monday afternoon.
Violent protests have gripped the country for a month-and-a-half as the country faces an economic crisis with shortages of essential items – and a state of emergency has been declared.
Foreign Office advises against ‘all but essential’ travel
The Foreign Office updated its travel advice on Friday, advising against all but essential travel to the country – citing violence against peaceful protestors.
Stuart and Hannah say they were shocked to be turned away from their flight to Sri Lanka – claiming Ramsay World Travel, who they booked the holiday through, had not been in touch about the changing travel rules.
Stuart, 35, said: “Even though Ramsay Travel knew about this on Friday, they didn’t contact us until we were refused boarding at Male Airport on Monday afternoon.
“We had to contact family members to call Ramsay Travel to try and find out what was happening.
“They acknowledged they knew about [the updated travel guidance] on Friday but offered no apology as to why no one contacted us.
“After being stranded, stressing out, for five hours at the airport, we received an email saying if we didn’t get the flight they booked then we would need to make our own way home.”
The couple say they planned the holiday in January 2021 during the Covid-19 pandemic.
It was meant to be the holiday of a lifetime and probably something we won’t be able to do again
Stuart Cairns
Stuart said: “We hadn’t been on holiday since 2019 and we wanted something to look forward to after lockdown.
“It was meant to be the holiday of a lifetime and probably something we won’t be able to do again.
“We were looking forward to it for so long. It’s not just a weekend in Spain, it was a special occasion for our honeymoon.
“The first part was amazing, but stress levels were high when we found out we couldn’t go to Sri Lanka.”
Stuart says the pair knew about the protests beforehand, but they did not know about the recent escalation.
He added: “I am glad I was refused boarding given the videos I have seen of the riots in Colombo.”
Travel agent vows to refund difference
A Ramsay World Travel spokesperson said: “We are deeply sorry that Mr and Mrs Cairns’ honeymoon was affected by the critical situation in Sri Lanka and the UK Government advice not to travel currently.
“We spoke to Mr Cairns as soon as we were aware of his situation.”
The spokesperson says the couple were offered three options – including extending their stay in the Maldives, spending the remainder of their trip in Dubai or returning home, all at a cost to the company.
We are extremely sorry that government advice curtailed the Cairns’ honeymoon
Ramsay World Travel
The spokesperson added: “Mr Cairns refused both of the first two alternatives and he and his wife requested that they fly home.
“We will also be reimbursing the unused portion of the Sri Lanka accommodation and are currently dealing with his complaint and will be in touch with Mr Cairns in due course.
“Once again we are extremely sorry that government advice curtailed the Cairns’ honeymoon.”
