British man forced to do dream holiday all alone after girlfriend is deported

A British man was forced to spend his dream holiday alone after his girlfriend was deported over a visa mix-up.

Scott Kinghorn, 32, and partner Thallise Marciano, 29, spent £2,500 as part of a trip to Mexico bought as a last-minute deal from Tui.

But the holiday was over before it began for Thallise, who is Brazilian. She was told that she needed to apply for a seperate visa in order to gain entry to Mexico, because of her nationality.

She was detained by immigration officials and sent home to Glasgow, where they had flown from.

But Scott claims Tui never told them that this was a required piece of documentation. He ended up being stranded in Mexico for a week on his own.

He said: “The whole trip was a complete nightmare from start to finish.

“Tui are responsible as she should never have been able to board that flight with a Brazilian passport and the incorrect documents.”

The couple had filled out the visa forms on the plan in line with Mexico’s government guidelines on Tui’s website.

But Thallise was stopped by border staff as she walked through passport control.

Scott had already passed through and arrived at baggage claim unaware of what had happened to his girlfriend.

Staff then refused to let him back through passport control to see Thallise, refused to let him board the return flight with her.

He said: “They wouldn’t even let me see her before she left and I had all our credit cards and our house keys.

“It was ludicrous. Thallise has anxiety and she had a panic attack on the flight home resulting in her needing medical attention.

Thallise had no money and no way of getting back to her house when she landed in Glasgow, so Scott had to book her a hotel for two nights while he organised for his brother to come back from a work trip and collect her.

Meanwhile, he spent all week trying to book a flight home. But all he was offered by Tui was a £400 flight to Manchester – two days before he was due to go home anyway.

“All in all, I spent £2,500 on the holiday plus the extra costs of her accommodation in Scotland and takeouts I was forced to order her,” the business owner said.

“I’ve since complained to Tui but they’re aftercare has been appalling – I can’t get through to speak to anyone.

“This is their fault because when Thallise filled out her advanced passenger information she should have been informed about the visa change for Brazilians.

“She should never have been allowed to board that flight with a Brazilian passport.

“We wouldn’t have even been able to get her the right visa until September so would never have booked the trip in the first place had we have been told.

“I’m trying to get the whole trip refunded but have heard nothing back from them since I got home six weeks ago.

“The whole holiday was a disaster – and I won’t stop until Tui takes responsibility for it.”

In a statement, Tui said: “We’re very sorry to hear of Mr Kinghorn and Ms Marciano’s experience.

“We always recommend that customers check visa requirements with the consulate or embassy of the country they’re travelling to before they book and ensure they have the correct documentation prior to completing their booking.

“On this occasion, Mr Kinghorn booked his holiday online and agreed to our booking terms and conditions which outlines that customers are responsible for checking if a visa is required to enter their chosen destination.”