Over 1,700 British Tourists Sue TUI Over Cape Verde Illness Claims

More than 1,700 British holidaymakers have joined what is shaping up to be one of the largest group legal actions against a UK tour operator in recent years, with London law firm Irwin Mitchell pursuing claims against TUI over severe gastrointestinal illnesses contracted at RIU hotel properties across the Cape Verde archipelago.

Claimants reported suffering from a range of infections including salmonella, shigella, E. coli and the parasitic illness cryptosporidium, contracted while staying on an all-inclusive basis at RIU resorts on Sal island and Boa Vista. Among those affected were children as young as six months old. Eight British tourists are now believed to have died after contracting suspected infections during Cape Verde holidays, a figure that has climbed from six as recently reported. Footage obtained by the BBC showed fly-infested buffets, undercooked food and mould in hotel rooms at the affected properties.

Irwin Mitchell specialist international serious injury lawyer Jatinder Paul told the BBC he had never encountered litigation of this magnitude throughout his career. He warned that without an amicable resolution, proceedings could reach the High Court with damages potentially running into millions of pounds. A six-week High Court trial is already scheduled for the end of 2026.

TUI, the German-headquartered operator formerly known in the UK as Thomson Holidays and listed on both the London and Frankfurt stock exchanges, said it was investigating but was "not in a position to provide a statement at this stage." The company sells packages to the RIU-branded resorts, operated by the Spanish hotel chain Riu, and acts as the organiser of holidays that claimants booked through the UK market.

That organiser role is legally significant. The claims are expected to proceed under the Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018, which make UK package operators strictly liable for every service included in a holiday, covering hotel hygiene standards regardless of whether a third party runs the property. The framework gives British package tourists a direct legal route against TUI, without needing to pursue Riu separately.

The UK Health Security Agency identified 158 confirmed Shigella sonnei cases in travellers returning from Cape Verde since October 2025, a figure that almost certainly understates the true number given that only a fraction of those who fall ill receive formal laboratory testing. Irwin Mitchell confirmed that new claimants were still coming forward, with some reporting illnesses from stays as recently as a fortnight before the firm's latest update, underlining that the situation at Cape Verde resorts had not been resolved before the legal action began to crystallise.