British holiday makers who have booked to travel to Tunisia from March will not yet know whether they will qualify for an alternative holiday or be eligible for a refund. Over the coming month, those who have already booked with the country’s largest travel firms, including Thomas Cook and Thompson, will be given the opportunity of organising an alternative destination or opting for a refund.

However those who were planning to travel after the beginning of March may be in danger of forfeiting a refund if they choose to cancel their holiday now. This is likely to affect those who were planning to spend Easter in Tunisia. First Choice and Thomson have cancelled all flights to the troubled country until at least 26 January.

Customers who have holidays booked to 16 February are being told that they will be allowed to make alternative arrangements. Thomas Cook has said it will not be carrying any passengers until at least 2 February and has told customers who have a holiday booked before 28 February that they will be given the opportunity to revise their plans.

The tour operators have warned that at peak times there will only be a limited amount of alternatives available and that the first to apply will be the first to be served.

Customers who are travelling after the deadlines will have to wait and see what the operators will offer. Travel experts are warning customers who decide to cancel their trips now that insurance policies are unlikely to pay out.